Integrate Fire Services in the national security architecture
Disaster! If that is not an understatement. But that is the only noun that is befitting what happened in the final day of Mmantshwabisi. Jwaneng was on fire, literally and figuratively.
I visited the scene over the weekend, and one cannot help but ‘admire’ the utter stupidity that accompanied selecting and designating that specific area in its current shape and form, a parking space. It was just a disaster waiting to happen.
Besides being inaccessible, except on make-shift ramp, there is a culvert in front of the parking space that runs from one end of Kweneng Drive to the other; approximately a kilometre or more. Adjacent to the culvert is the last residential line of Unit 4.
As such, the parking is sandwiched between the culvert and the residential. This therefore, hinders any emergency response whatsoever. Further to this, is the fact that, although Jwaneng has a fire station, it does not have a fire engine.
It died some years ago, and the powers that be, never saw the reason to replace it. This therefore, meant whoever Mmatshwabisi planners are, they had to rely on fire engines coming as far as Kanye, which is 85 kilometres away. As to why the parking space was ungraded, is beyond reasonable provisions of sanity.
However, what became very evident with this disaster is lack of joint-planning between Mantshwabisi planners and other agencies, especially fire services.
The one important lesson to be drawn from this tragedy is that, it is high time we recognised the value and importance of incorporating the fire services into the national security architecture.
The incorporation of the fire service perspective into the national security architecture’s collection, analysis, and dissemination of information and intelligence enhances the collective homeland security effort, while supporting the prevention, protection, response, and recovery efforts of all homeland security partners require an understanding of the evolution of the terms ‘information’ and ‘intelligence’ as they pertain to the current homeland security environment.
Though once thought of as relating only to prevention, protection, and investigation missions, information and intelligence are now also recognised as important elements in support of the preparedness for and execution of response and recovery missions.
These missions are performed by departments across the emergency services sector, including law enforcement, fire service, and emergency management, as well as public health departments, critical infrastructure owners/operators, nongovernmental organisations, and the private sector.
Timely and actionable information and reports concerning threats, vulnerabilities, and other potential hazards are imperative to provide situational awareness to all emergency services personnel.
Information and reports generated by joint operation centre and disseminated to fire service and other emergency services constituents can help guide their preparedness activities (planning, training, staging, etc.), as well as enhance
responder safety during response and recovery operations.
The training and experience that fire service personnel possess by the nature of their profession make them an excellent analytical element and resource.
In addition, when fire service personnel embedded in joint-operations centres can advise on specific preparedness, response, and recovery requirements and assist fellow analysts in the identification and preparation of intelligence products for emergency services consumers.
In this capacity, both law enforcement and fire service personnel in joint-operations serve the same vital function.
As first responders to all emergency incidents, fire service personnel are cognisant of the various types of threats facing their communities.
The fire service perspective adds an important dimension to all-hazard risk assessments, preparedness activities, and mitigation operations.
The integration of fire service organisations and personnel into the fusion process enhances the efforts of all national security partners across all mission areas.