On Saturday, 16 April 2016 certificates were awarded to 14 trained first aiders and 5 residents of the Macassar Village informal settlement who attended a three-day fire awareness workshop. The recipients are all residents of Ward 109.

The City’s Disaster and Risk Management (DRM) department provides these training and awareness programmes to promote resilience against disasters among our most vulnerable communities.

The first aid training was provided for the Sandvlei and Kramat communities as part of the City’s emergency planning for the flood plain region, and the fire awareness training was initiated after two people lost their lives during a fire in the Macassar informal settlement in 2015.

“The individuals who completed these programmes are now not only able to assist their communities in case of disaster, but also have valuable new skills to add to their CVs. I would like to honour each person who took part in the training and awareness workshops. It is important to create greater awareness in our communities of the importance of disaster risk reduction so that residents know which precautions to take with regard to specific types of hazards.

“I hope and trust that these training courses will prompt the individuals who completed them to undertake the next levels available and that others will be encouraged by them to do the same. As chairperson for Subcouncil 22, anyone is welcome to contact my office if they are interested in attending the fire and first aid workshops,” said Cllr Chantal Cerfontein.

Residents can contact Cllr Cerfontein on 071 121 6148 or email Chantal.Cerfontein@capetown.gov.za for further information.