The Bambanani Green Solutions Hosts Fire Safety Awareness Program at Hazyview Clinic

By: Thembekile Mokoena

Bambanani Green Solutions with the vision of a world where people live in harmony with the natural environment and where environmental stewardship is a core value in every community, hosted a fire safety awareness program at Hazyview Clinic.

The Mpumalanga branch visited Hazyview Clinic in the Mbombela Local Municipality for the session, which was organised by Mbuso Siwela. Activities included a full fire drill, education on fire prevention in clinics and homes and a hands-on demonstration on how to use fire extinguishers. The evacuation exercise was completed within 5 minutes. Staff and patients took part successfully.

Evacuation drills play a major role in improving the quality of care and safety in health facilities. During the drill, Mr. Siwela was able to identify some shortcomings. He noted that while the clinic has two emergency exits, one of them needs attention to ensure it is fully accessible.

A staff member blew a whistle to alert everyone to the fire and personnel managed to evacuate patients using the emergency exits.

During the in-service training, Mr. Siwela educated staff on the do’s and don’ts of using fire extinguishers. “If you don’t have a fire extinguisher at home, you can use sand for small fires. For a gas fire, you can use a damp blanket to smother the flames,” said Mr Siwela.

Clinic Manager Olgah Mhlanga expressed appreciation for the training received. 

“This training was an eye-opener. The knowledge we received on fire drills and fire safety will help us improve safety in the facility,” said Ms. Mhlanga. In closing, she extended a vote of thanks to Bambanani Green Solutions and facilitator Mbuso Siwela for the valuable training.

Organisers said the training aims to improve safety and emergency preparedness in healthcare facilities and in the surrounding communities.