HESSEQUA NEWS - The current load shedding implemented by electricity utility Eskom as it faces a shortage of generation capacity due to a combination of maintenance and unplanned breakdowns, poses a heightened fire risk for homeowners and their families.
This follows a recent media report of an Eastern Cape family of seven losing everything when a fire engulfed their house after their electricity was restored following load shedding. The family had to flee and seek refuge in a rondavel.
Michael van Niekerk, ASP Fire CEO urges all homeowners to put basic fire-risk mitigation measures in place to protect their families and property. The first thing homeowners need to do in the event of load shedding is to ensure all power sources are switched off.
"This might sound like common sense, but it is easy to forget to do so when the power goes off unexpectedly and your home is plunged suddenly into darkness."
Candles
Another risk factor is using candles as a light source. Extinguish candles immediately once the power supply is restored. Homeowners need to ensure that candles are positioned correctly so that, if they fall over, they do not pose a fire risk.
Candles must be placed in proper candlehoulders to prevent this from happening.
Van Niekerk advises homeowners to invest in a small fire extinguisher for the home and ensure all residents know where it is placed and how to operate it effectively in the event of any fire.
Gensets
Homeowners are increasingly opting for back-up gensets to supplement grid power in the event of load shedding, but these pose their own safety and risk issues. Here it is essential to ensure that such gensets are serviced and maintained regularly so that they can be switched on immediately in the event of load shedding.
"If the power goes out and you switch your genset on, only to find that it is out of fuel, the last thing you want to do is to attempt to refill that genset while it is running, or while the engine or exhaust is hot. This poses a serious risk of causing a fire while doing this," said Van Niekerk.
'We bring you the latest Hessequa news'
