14 December 2004 Press Release December Holidays ANOTHER festive season is upon us! As we all begin to look forward to spending time with our families and friends, we must of course remember to stay safe. The festive season means different things to different communities in the City of Johannesburg. We hope it will be a time for everyone to reflect on the past year and look forward to the challenges and joys 2005 will bring. The City of Johannesburg's Call Centre - Joburg Connect - will not close during this festive period and call takers in both the Emergency call taking and Customer Care centers will be on duty throughout to cater to the requirements of the community. Prank Calls We request that members of the public, especially those with children, kindly assist us in teaching their children not to play with the toll free numbers. The Call Center has been inundated with a high volume of prank calls, which compromise the incoming life threatening calls. These pranksters are blocking emergency lines and putting the lives of those in need of Ambulances and Fire engines in jeopardy. Don't let jingle bells become fire bells when decorating your home for Christmas. We advise members of the public to take care with Christmas lights and decorations during this festive season. Christmas and fairy lights, candles and decorations are some of the magic things about this time of year, but all too often we see festivity turn to tragedy through carelessness. One of the biggest risks are Christmas tree lights, which are only used for a few weeks each year and are often damaged in storage. Remember, Christmas trees can go up in flames in a matter of seconds - turning your festive season into a flammable one. Members of the public also need to remember to only use lights that are designed for external use, outside - internal lights aren't made to withstand outdoor conditions and can quickly become unsafe. Don't Leave Children in Hot Cars Parents are advised not to leave children alone in cars during the current hot weather, not even for a few minutes. A family car could become a killer during summer months. There are cases were a parents have left children in a car for only a few minutes while they go into a shop leading to the child being subjected to temperatures which reach up to 80 degrees within minutes and can cause them to die in less than half an hour. Heavy rain presents danger for Children We are urging all parents to keep their children from playing in stormwater drains and rivers. As we all know heavy downpours such as we have experienced recently, quickly swell rivers, spruits and stormwater drains throughout the City of Johannesburg. It is these floods and drains that continue to take the lives of unsuspecting people. Every year during the storm season paramedics are called to tragtic scenes where children and people have drowned. These situations can easily be averted by members of the public exercising due care during this time of heavy rains and torrential thunderstorms. For more information call : Joburg Connect Communications, City of Johannesburg, 011-375-5555. Kgamanyane Maphologela, Head Communications, Email:Stanmapho@joburg.org.za