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City launches Homefinder

 

Johannesburg will launch a new street sign campaign to help Emergency Services reach emergency situations quicker. This gadget is called a "Homefinder".

A Homefinder is a large square block of metal at the top of a long pole with an arrow pointing to say Block A 1-10 making it easy for EMS and road users to identify the area.

"A lot of informal settlements do not have stand number or anything to identify streets, when you have an emergency crew responding to a fire or medical emergency, this can cause delay.

"In that situation every second could make a difference between life and death," said Malcolm Midgley, spokesperson at EMS.

"This launch is part of a broader Safety Awareness Campaign currently being implemented by the City of Johannesburg and EMS targeting all Johannesburg communities.

"In this cold winter we want to educate communities about the dangers of hypothermia, paraffin and matches.

"Residents must keep warm to avoid hypothermia but they must exercise extreme caution and keep children away from paraffin as it the cause of most shack fires." added Midgley.

"We have seen fewer large scale shack fires in places like Alexandra and Diepsloot. "Accidents still occur and they cost lives but we believe people are taking heed of the safety messages, including advice on building further apart to stop fires from spreading," concluded Midgley.

The campaign has seen the revival of popular character "Papa Q" who won many hearts during his travels around the city during the Summer Safety Campaign.

"Papa Q" is the main character in the radio advertisements for the campaign and is expected to make appearances at various public places in and around Johannesburg.

For more information contact Nthatise Modingoane on 011-407-7354, 011-403-3494 (fax), 082-467-9228 or e-mail Nthatisem@joburg.org.za.