Hout Bay residents will have a brand new fire station with 30 uniformedstaff members by the end of this year.

The City's Portfolio Committee on Safety and Security heard this week that construction on the new fire station is expected to be completed by mid-December, well in time for the busy summer holiday season.

According to Cllr David Erleigh, Mayoral Committee Member for Safety and Security and Chairperson of the Committee, the new station will addressthe pressing needs of the Hout Bay area which previously relied on fireand rescue services from neighbouring areas.

"It will be staffed by 30 fire fighters and have three large emergency appliances including a major fire tender, a bush fire tender and a rescue vehicle.

"The City of Cape Town is continually identifying ways of improvingservices to its residents. Statistically fires occur mainly in the firstand fourth quarters every year, whilst flooding occurs mainly in thesecond and third quarters.

"The City's 'red alert season' starts in November, peaks in December and January, and levels out in the ensuing three months," says Cllr Erleigh.

Other City initiatives to provide better fire and rescue servicesinclude the establishment of a single Fire Control Centre which will belocated in the Goodwood area. This will be finalised and fully operational once the City's Staff placement process has been completed later this year.

In the current financial year the City has ordered six fire engines, a bush fire water tanker, a foam tanker and a rescue vehicle to fortifyits arsenal of fire fighting equipment.

"Fires and flooding in informal settlements remain the most serioushazards facing the City's Disaster Management teams. Due to the increasein informal settlements, the number of people affected by fires andflooding in informal settlements continues to rise.

"The City has therefore adopted a definitive strategy with regard to thedevelopment of human settlements to improve the quality of life foreveryone," says Cllr Erleigh.

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