Berlin wrong place for BCM fire station, says DA

The proposed location of Buffalo City Metro’s new fire station is sparking some heat.

Council documents and discussion have placed the planned new R15m fire station in Berlin.

But the DA says the need for firefighting services is to the west of the metro, where there has been an influx of people in both suburbs and informal settlements.

BCM’S fire department has been on the decline for more than a decade.

Fire stations have little or no security and are being overrun by vandals and burglars, and there have been shortages of firefighting equipment at all seven fire stations.

Stories of firefighters feeling undermined have peppered the Dispatch over this time, but with rainfall on the decline for four years and high temperatures, the metro has sizzled, sometimes with multiple fire crises on the same day spreading to homes and other buildings.

There were 528 fires recorded in the 12 months up to June 2020.

According to the 2020/2021 midyear adjustment budget document seen by the Dispatch, the new fire station will need a further R12m each year to pay 35 new staff salaries, including four security guards, 24 firefighters and a station commander. DA councillor Sue Bentley said a 2010 Metro Readiness Report had recommended that the next fire station be built in either Kidds Beach or Gonubie.

“Berlin was only mentioned because at that stage we often had problems with the Berlin tip [burning].”

Since 2010 new migration trends had seen a huge growth in the western area of the metro.

“In 2010, we had Ncera villages 1 and 2. Now we also have Ncera villages 3, 4, 5 and 6. Kaysers Beach and Kidds Beach have grown, and we have incredible developments near Cove Rock,” she said, adding this was where the new fire station was needed most.

Bentley also says the metro cannot afford a mistake.

“The council wants four security guards for the proposed Berlin station yet not one of our existing fire stations have any security guards,” she said.

“According to fire regulations, if there is a fire in Kaysers Beach we are supposed to get to that fire within 22 minutes and we can’t do that because our fire station is too far away.

“We can’t afford to build our next fire station in the wrong place.”

In a report signed by head of public safety & emergency services VR Lwana, the establishment of a fire station in Berlin was identified at the time of the Metropolitan Readiness report document compiled in January 2010.

Lwana wrote: “The organisational structure makes provision for additional personnel for the envisaged fire stations and as such personnel will be appointed as and when funding is available.”

The metro is set to discuss the new fire station in its budget discussions in the next council meeting.

Berlin was only mentioned because at that stage we often had problems with the Berlin tip [burning]