Fire Services Projects
1. Fire Safety and Prevention Capacity Assessment in Twelve Municipalities - The D: FS has a project which seeks to support implementation of the National Fire Safety and Prevention Strategy (NFSPS) through capacity assessments and support in 12 municipalities (three municipalities per province) across the country during the 2017/18 Financial Year. This project is part of the Annual Performance Plan (APP) of the Department of Cooperative Governance (DCoG) and is also linked to the Back to Basics Programme.
- The D: FS visits all municipalities and assess the capacity to implement the NFSPS. During the assessment process, the Directorate identifies key skills gaps that are adversely impacting on the ability of most municipalities to deliver on their fire safety and prevention mandate as outlined in the NFSPS. Against this background, the Directorate hosts training courses in partnership with the Fire Protection Association of Southern Africa (FPASA). The training focuses on Fire Risk Assessment and Prevention strategies as well as the South African National Standards (SANS) 10400 Training: a Detailed Analysis. A total of 48 Fire Safety Officers from across the 12 identfied municipalities benefitted from the training. Key policy gaps that are identified during the assessment will be addressed through the reviswed fire services legislation.
2. Establishment of Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) - This is an operational project which entails the establishment of USAR institutional arrangements for the North West (NW) Province. This project contributes to the achievement of the strategic objective of improving the system of disaster management and fire services in the country. The North West province has been chosen as a pilot case for the NDMC USAR capacity building strategy. As part of this project, the Directorate is expected to develop and adopt a training action plan which will form the basis of its approach to build USAR capacity within the North West province and the country at large.
3. National Fire Safety and Prevention Summit The D: FS hosts national fire safety and prevention summit on an annual basis. The purpose of the summit to share good practices amongst fire safety and prevention practitioners across the public and the private sector. The summit will be organized in partnership with the North West province and will be hosted in JB Marks local municipality on 27 February to 02 March 2018. 4. Enhancing the fire services regulatory frameworks The department has identified the Fire Brigade Services Act, 1987 (Act No. 99 of 1987) (FBSA) which was promulgated in 1987 as one of the old-order legislation that require a comprehensive review. This review aims to closely align and harmonise the FBSA with other applicable legislation. As part of this review, the Directorate has prepared a Draft White Paper on Fire Services which has already been approved by Cabinet for public consultations. The Directorate has published the Draft White Paper for public comments and inputs received from the public have been integrated into the Draft Policy. The Directorate will submit the updated white paper to Cabinet for final approval. This Draft White Paper will form the basis of the revised legislation. The White Paper seeks to prioritise fire risk reduction as a core element of the proposed fire brigade services legislation. |