Jozi EMS received fewer emergency calls
03 January 2017
The City of Johannesburg’s Emergency Management Services (EMS) personnel attended to 254 calls in just 10 hours during New Year’s Eve celebrations at the weekend.
This represents a significant decline compared with the number of calls the EMS received the previous year, when more than 300 calls were logged.
Most the calls were from residents reporting assault cases and car accidents across the City’s various regions, according to EMS Spokesperson Robert Mulaudzi.
“EMS staff have worked tirelessly throughout the festive season to ensure they responded promptly to emergencies that residents might be faced with,” said Mulaudzi.
All the 28 EMS fire stations throughout the city were fully operational, with each fire station manned by at least 20 personnel.
Mulaudzi said the EMS had strengthened its capacity to respond adequately to the usually high number of accidents and incidents during this time of the year that raised the need for additional medical attention.
“It is our responsibility as the EMS to respond swiftly to accident or crime scenes and give people adequate medical attention,” said Mulaudzi.
“We’ve been calling on residents to drive safely and celebrate the festive season responsibly,” said Mulaudzi.
Twelve people were killed in various incidents throughout the city. In Hillbrow, six cases of assault were reported compared with 10 the previous year. Two of the victims were treated for serious injuries and transported to Charlotte Maxeke Hospital for further medical care. The other four were treated for minor to moderate injuries.
“There is a lot that can be done to minimise the number of incidents on New Year’s Eve and we continue to plead with residents to be responsible,” said Mulaudzi.
Drinking and driving and speeding appeared to be the biggest causes of car accidents.
Mulaudzi said the EMS was relatively pleased with the overall conduct of the residents, especially in Hillbrow and its surrounding areas.
“We want to applaud residents of Johannesburg, especially those in Hillbrow and surrounding areas, for their good behaviour and conduct during the New Year’s Eve celebrations.
“This change in behaviour can be attributed to the constant operations conducted by the law enforcement agencies (Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department and the South African Police Service), by-law compliance and operations targeting wholesalers, dealers and resellers of fireworks,” he said.
He urged motorists to continue to drive safely, obey the rules of the road and keep to the prescribed speed limit to avoid accidents.