November 24, 2004
By Anish Abraham
IN times of trouble, when most people are fleeing for their lives, the men and women of the emergency services head in the opposite direction - into collapsing buildings, or towards fierce fires.
EMS crew in training
To prepare for such eventualities the crews of the Johannesburg Emergency Management Services (EMS), including fire fighters and paramedics, spend many hours training to ensure they are in peak condition - lives could depend on it.
During November the EMS held five training exercises in preparation for the upcoming holiday season.
Simulation exercises included diving into a dam to rescue swimmers, putting out blazing fires and abseiling down tall buildings, carrying people to safety.
The EMS's diving unit and swift water rescue unit carried out two aquatic exercises at the Fleurhof Dam, near Roodepoort, and Wemmer Pan, on the eastern side of the city.
"These exercises are really important for us," said Malcolm Midgley, Johannesburg EMS spokesperson and himself a diver. "Most of the time when we respond to real situations, we have to work in extreme conditions like poor visibility under water and in highly polluted water."
Other exercises were carried out at Lanseria Airport, simulating an air-crash with evacuation and emergency medical procedures, and at the Engen fuel depot in Industria, where fire fighters put out a number of blazes.
Midgley said the reason for choosing the fuel depot was that it was a "key installation of strategic value to the city".
On 17 November, all the City's EMS squads joined up for a major disaster management exercise - linking with other emergency units from neighbouring cities as well as members of the South African National Defence Force and the South African Air Force.
An Oryx helicopter from the Waterkloof Air Force Base was provided to airlift emergency personnel from the University of the Witwatersrand's sports grounds to the rooftop of the abandoned Mimosa Hotel in Hillbrow.
There, crews 'rescued' people 'trapped' in the high-rise building, abseiling down the side of the building before carrying them to safety on the ground.
Some 40 fire fighters and paramedics from Johannesburg, Tshwane, Ekhuruleni, Mogale City, and the West Rand District took part.
The point of the exercise, according to the caretaker director in charge of disaster and fire for Gauteng's Department of Local Government, Bongani Ngomane, was "to shorten our response time and ensure resources are also shared with poorer municipalities".
This was more of a challenge now that the festive season was approaching, he added.
"The intention of such programmes is the successful integration of our various services and to share skills and knowledge," Ngomane said, thanking the Defence Force for its support and the City of Johannesburg for providing the facilities.
Fire fighters, laden with equipment, were briefed by SAAF pilots on safety instructions on entering and exiting the helicopter, and on how to use the winch. EMS personnel were warned not to grab on to the winch before it touched the ground as the build-up of static on the winch and line would give them "the shock of their lives".
"Such exercises are good, as the SAAF also gets exposure on working with us in an urban environment. In case of any future emergencies we will be able to work well together," said Midgley.
The baking sun took its toll on the groups of fire fighters, who had the laborious task of trudging around the grounds with all their equipment. A large metal tub filled with sachets of water and cold drinks provided welcome respite, and many of the emergency workers made frequent stops to prevent dehydration.
Such was the entertainment value of the exercise that a group of children sat in the stands watching the helicopter fly in and out, carrying EMS crews.
There was a delay in proceedings as news came through that a fire fighter and the person he was 'rescuing' had slipped while abseiling down the Mimosa Hotel. Both were admitted to hospital - the fire fighter with a bruised ankle and the volunteer with a minor back injury.
It turned out that the fire fighter had descended too quickly and was unable to control his speed - reinforcing the reason for holding such an exercise.
Station officer in charge of the Johannesburg EMS's technical rescue unit, Hugh Price-Hughes, viewed such training exercises as invaluable.
Price-Hughes, who has worked in the emergency services since 1991, is also responsible for his unit's training.
He was a member of one of the squads South Africa sent to assist in the aftermath of earthquakes in India in 1999, Algeria in 2003 and Iran at the end of 2003.
"This job is always exciting and always different. You get to help people, though you need to have a love for the job or you will find it difficult after time," said Price-Hughes, who worked at Tygerberg Emergency Services in the Western Cape before joining the Johannesburg EMS in 1999.
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