May 26, 2006
By Ndaba Dlamini
THE chatter of young girls could be heard at the far end of the Civic Centre corridors. They had been waiting excitedly the past 20 minutes for the mayor of Johannesburg, Amos Masondo.
"I can't wait to see the mayor. I've seen his face on TV and can't believe I'll finally meet him in person," 16-year-old Michelle Pietersen from Hyde Park High School said to a friend.
It was 25 May, a day specially set aside for companies to host young girls like Pietersen for a day, giving them insight into different work situations to help them make career choices.
On this day, Johannesburg's Emergency Management Services (EMS), in partnership with Cell C, had arranged that 40 schoolgirls from around Johannesburg join EMS employees for the day to get a sense of how they spend they working hours.
Finally, the doors of the second floor lifts opened and the mayor, together with the EMS chief, Audrey Gule, stepped out. A hush fell on the immaculately dressed girls as they were ushered into the committee room.
"I am grateful that you managed to take a day off from your studies to pay us a visit and learn how some of the City's departments function," Masondo said.
"Johannesburg is a fairly big city and is the business and financial capital of the country. Yesterday I presented the City's budget and, comparatively speaking, I can say the budget I presented is bigger than that of countries like Swaziland and Lesotho."
The City has many policies and some of these policies strive to place women in a position of power to ensure that women play their rightful role in society, he said. "One of the ways to empower women is to ensure that the girl child is given an opportunity to advance herself educationally."
The City also aims to ensure an equal proportion of men and women in the council, Masondo said, adding that this year the number of women in the council has increased "dramatically".
He also urged the girls to consider building a career in the emergency services, a field largely dominated by men.
After meeting the mayor, the girls joined Joburg councillors to listen to the budget debate. Then it was time to set off to various EMS stations.
EMS stations
The girls were divided into groups of four, with each group allocated a public relations officer. Sixteen year-old Elsie Mpye and 17-year-old Simangele Maphanga from SSB Matric Centre in Randburg joined Synoch Matobako, the station commander for public education at EMS headquarters in Florida Park.
"There are different sections within the EMS," Matobako told them. "There is the proactive section which focuses on educating the public about, among other things, fire hazards. This section approves building plans and building inspections to find out whether buildings comply with City's bylaws. The operations section is the core section of EMS and is made up of the fire and ambulance services.
"The Archives section handles over 5 000 files of employees employed under the EMS," said Matobako as he took the two girls through the section. "And this is where all the information about all EMS employees in Johannesburg are kept."
Seventeen-year-old Maphanga asked human resources officer Talitha Germishuys whether the EMS has a policy to employ women in their ranks.
"Currently the EMS has 1 124 employees and there are signs that women are beginning to take up positions which were previously male-dominated, especially in the fire department," Germishuys said. "We have 123 female employees serving under the fire department, which is quite encouraging."
The girls were then taken to the six-storey tower in the middle of EMS headquarters. "This tower is mainly used to train recruits to overcome any fear they may have of heights. But it is also used to dry fire hoses," said Matobako, showing the two girls ten or so hoses hanging from inside the tower.
Maphanga asked if fire fighters and ambulance staff were given any psychological counselling, given that they encounter horrific incidents of hurt and dying people in the course of their duties. Matobako replied that there are facilities and personnel trained to deal with such cases, but it is up to employees to use them.
Station commander for public education, Synoch Matobako takes Simangele Maphanga and Elsie Mpye through the Florida Park Station
"When you come into the EMS you specialise in the field that you enjoy most," Matobako said as he took the girls through the operations section of the station. "You can fit into any of the sections I mentioned earlier, but the most challenging is the fire department. One can get killed or severely injured during a fire-fighting exercise."
Two shiny poles connect the upper floor of the building with the ground floor, where fire fighting attire and equipment are kept. "When there is a call from the watch room, which is manned 24 hours a day, firemen descend down these poles and grab their equipment and rush into their vehicles, Matobako said. "There is no time to wear one thing piece of clothing at a time so the boots, trousers and firemen's jacket are always kept ready to be worn at one go."
In the packing area a giant fire-fighting machine, which Matobako calls the "Bronto Skylifter", stands majestically. "This machine costs about R5.5-million. Anyone who intends operating this vehicle has to do a pump operation course because any mistake while using the skylifter can result in loss of lives."
Matobako said the department was mostly dealt with bush and shack fires. The fire risk increases in winter when people use heaters in their dwellings, particularly in informal settlements.
The girls were finally taken through the BeSafe Centre, where children are taught how to use electrical household equipment safely and what to do when a fire breaks out at home. "We have BeSafe Centres in Alexandra and Soweto, and are currently building one in Diepsloot," Matobako said.
By this time, the two girls had run out of questions and were making hints about the lunch waiting for them at the fire fighters' mess.
"This has been a very fruitful day for me," said 16-year-old Mpye. "I learnt a lot about the EMS and I hope I will one day join the fire-fighting department."
Maphanga agreed. "Even though it sounds challenging and dangerous, I was impressed by the fire-fighting department's operations. The BeSafe Centre is also a brilliant idea to educate children about the hazards of fire."
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