Imizamo Yethu residents will be getting training in fire fighting and first aid to prevent a repeat of last year’s devastating fires that killed nine people and left thousands homeless.
The Rotary Club of Hout Bay and Hout Bay Volunteer Emergency Medical Services (HBVEMS) are rolling out the training, made possible by the club’s fire-relief fund, which has been supported by private donors and other Rotary clubs.
“HBVEMS was identified as being in the position to assist us in training for the unique requirements of our communities through their platform. We approached them and are delighted to have them as our partners in this project,” said Hout Bay Rotary president, Joelle Searle.
“They will coordinate the training of basic fire fighting and other emergency training on an ongoing basis, allowing for a minimum of 60 community members to be trained per year as well as a ‘train-the-trainer’ programme to ensure ongoing sustainability.
“The investment by Rotary Club of Hout Bay in this initiative will, we believe, go a long way to ensuring that the devastation caused by recent fires is not repeated in the future.”
The training itself will be done by an accredited external instructor and HBVEMS will handle logistics.
The course will take the form of a one-day “Fire-Stop” programme and a one-day fire treatment programme.
It will start on Saturday January 27, with an initial intake of 15 residents.
Those who complete the course will get a certificate at a graduation ceremony.
The programme will cover fire theory, classification of fires, fire prevention and immediate action, operation of basic fire-fighting equipment, basic fire-fighting procedures, extinguishing of fires, and basic first aid for burns.
The second part of the training will focus on first aid and deals with burns and commonly encountered medical emergencies in the community.
The course is targeting creche workers, community leaders as well as all responsible adults within the Hout Bay community.
The training will be presented at the HBVEMS ambulance base, next to the Hout Bay Main Road clinic.
Contact Hout Bay Volunteer Emergency Medical Services at info@houtbayems.org.za to register for this free course.
