Africa Fire and Emergency Services has the capacity to establish both Municipal and Private or Industrial Fire Brigades. Africa Fire and Emergency Services uses the NFPA 600 Standard which establishes minimum requirements for organizing, operating, training and equipping an Industrial or private Fire Brigade. It also outlines the minimum requirements for Occupational Safety and Health requirements for the members of the Fire Brigade. The degree of hazards on site, training and experience of the members will determine the limit of activities and responsibilities. Industrial Fire Brigades are not Public Brigades and therefore this code is considered appropriate to all commercial activities. Equipment is based on the nature of the facility and site-specific hazards present. Africa Fire and Emergency Services management shall consider Industrial fire brigade health and safety as a primary concern in the specification, design, construction, acquisition, operation, maintenance, inspection and repair of all Industrial Fire Brigade Apparatus.
With regard to Municipal Fire Brigades, Africa Fire and Emergency Services ensures that the following is carried out:
· Prevent the outbreak or spread of fire,
· Fighting or extinguishing a fire,
· Protection of life or property against a fire or other threatening danger,
· The rescue of life or property from a fire or other danger,
· The performance of any other function connected to the above.
Africa Fire and Emergency Services is aware that the single most critical parameter in an emergency incident is time. It is the duration of exposure to heat, chemical factors and other exposures that determine the severity of injury to patients and damage to property. It is for the aforementioned reason that Africa Fire and Emergency Services base emergency service response standards on the parameter of time. The diagram below illustrates Africa Fire and Emergency Services’ commitment to the above in the positioning of Fire Stations. The contours below are based on the risk in the area of jurisdiction.