Weekend Argus (Saturday Edition)
City firefighters speak of cost of being under siege
WHILE the City of Cape Town boasts a well-resourced fire department, its workforce is under siege as communities continue to attack firefighters.
Between July 2021 and February 2022 at least 13 attacks were recorded by the City.
At least 90 staff members have undergone trauma counselling after they were attacked by residents in Gugulethu, Wallacedene, Bloemkombos, Khayelitsha, Mfuleni and more recently Langa.
A City of Cape Town firefighter has spoken out about his near-death experience two years ago.
Platoon commander Granville Mathias was robbed at gunpoint on October 17, 2020, responding to a fire in Wallacedene.
He was attacked by a gun-wielding man when he went to investigate a fire. The perpetrator also threatened to kill him and his female colleague.
“As I went in I heard a gun being cocked behind me and when I turned the guy hit me in the face and there was blood everywhere. I thought of charging him, but I knew if I made a move he would shoot,” Mathias said.
He was robbed of his cellphone and wallet.
“A lot of things went through my mind, and I made peace with it, I didn’t beg for my life,” Mathias said.
Mathias went for counselling but returned to work a week later.
“I just had to get back to what I love doing because when I was sitting at home I was just thinking about what
happened,” Mathias said.
It is understood that fire hoses were slashed with a spade when a fire crew responded to a fire in Langa in April. The matter was referred to the SAPS.
The City’s safety and security department said the figures did not reflect the full extent of the damage caused by the attacks on firefighters.
Firefighters despatched to parts of the City have also been robbed of their belongings and fire engines have been stoned or their hose pipes slashed.
Other incidents include bricks being thrown through vehicle windows and the stoning of fire engines.
This means firefighters have to be escorted by police, subject to availability.
In a report to the safety and security committee, fire and rescue executive director Vincent Botto wrote that the attacks put an unnecessary burden on the City’s fleet, budget and service.
“That our staff are being harassed, attacked and verbally assaulted is a matter of great concern. In addition to the physical and mental harm caused, these incidents create a service delivery problem because they have a direct impact on the number of staff being on duty when affected staff are deemed unfit for duty for a period.”
Botto added that some firefighters were too ashamed to undergo trauma counselling: “It should also be noted that some staff who have suffered at the hands of such criminals decline the offer of trauma counselling, and some injuries sustained, while not being serious enough to warrant staff being hospitalised, cause mental anguish and could result in latent trauma.”
Mayco member for safety and security JP Smith said the attack on staff and vehicles has reduced the City’s response time to fires significantly and way below the national standards.
Smith said depending on the availability of an escort, the fire teams could be delayed from a few minutes to 20 minutes or more and that drops response time.
“For the first time recently our response time dropped to below the national standards,” Smith said.
According to the national standards, 70% of your responses to fires have to happen in under 14 minutes and the City of Cape has since dropped by 7% due to the attacks, Smith said. “For us to have dropped below that it was a big deal because it hasn’t happened before.
“The biggest factor is that they have to wait for police escorts in certain areas where they had experienced attacks in the parks and the staff are scared to go,” Smith said.