I am pleased to announce that today, 20 June 2019, the City of Johannesburg’s Emergency Management Services (EMS) has procured forty two (42) brand new ambulances as part of the Fleet Replacement Programme to substitute the current ageing and damaged fleet.
The newly acquired fleet will assist EMS to respond effectively to the residents of Johannesburg with state of the art ambulances.
Today I was joined by the MMC for Public Safety Cllr Michael Sun and the Acting Executive Head of Emergency management Services, Ms Nomathemba Mtshali as we unveiled the forty two (42) ambulances at Ivory Park Fire station.
These ambulances will now be handed over and distributed across various fire stations within the City.
This will greatly assist with the alleviating the strain to the current overstretched resources.
The forty two (42) ambulances will replace the broken down and aging fleet, bring the EMS fleet to hundred and one (101) ambulances servicing Joburg residents. All 30 stations will each receive at least one ambulance and some will receive two, based on the call volume within that region.
Indeed, the deployment of these vehicles will be directed to some of our poorest communities who experience some of the highest call volumes.
On average the Emergency Command Center receives over 30 000 emergency calls per month – ranging from medical, rescue and fire incidents. Joburg’s EMS being one of the largest of its kind in Africa plays a critical role in ensuring the safety of our residents.
The addition of this fleet will enable our paramedics to deliver quality services, faster.
Indeed, the City’s EMS performance in responding to priority 1 medical calls currently averages at 85% within 15 minutes.
This said, I have been informed that the Gauteng Provincial Government intends on taking over the City of Johannesburg’s ambulance service.
I am deeply concerned that the safety of our residents is at risk of being compromised should this take place.
These concerns stem from the tragic Life Esidimeni when Gauteng’s Department of Health removed patients from private care. This lead to the deaths of 143 people.
While the province is within its rights to run its own ambulance service, we believe that the transfer of City ambulances to the province would greatly hamper service delivery.
The City will continue engagements with the Province to safeguard the interests of our residents.
I encourage residents of Johannesburg to also take pride in the new fleet and ensure our paramedics are protected while they respond to emergencies.
I would like to express my appreciation to the MMC for Safety, Cllr Micheal Sun, for the efforts made in procuring these ambulances and helping us bring better emergency services to residents.
Furthermore, I encourage residents to remember the following steps when calling an ambulance:
- Contact the control centre on 10177 or 112 (when using a cellphone);
- Try to remain calm;
- Identify the emergency;
- Give your name and contact details;
- State the nature of the incident;
- Indicate the number of people involved;
- Give the physical address and nearest corner or landmark; and,
- Remain on the line as long as possible to answer the operator’s questions.
I believe that through the introduction of these new ambulances, we will continue to bring Diphetogo to the people of Johannesburg.