There are thousands of fire hydrants across Nelson Mandela Bay, one on almost every street corner, such a familiar part of the “street furniture” that they go almost unnoticed – until a fire breaks out.
Over the past two months, 713 fire hydrants across the metro have been rehabilitated to an operational readiness state, and 182 markers have been repainted to ensure visibility, through a project run in conjunction with the Nelson Mandela Bay Business Chamber and Supporting Fire Services SA.
Implemented through the Chamber’s Risk Management Desk, the project is making strides towards the target of reaching at least 4 000 fire hydrants over 12 months, to inspect, restore, repaint and digitally map them.
A fire hydrant may seem like a small thing, but what makes this project particularly exciting is that it is combining infrastructure maintenance with technology development, youth employment and skills development, and community safety through a single initiative.
The project operates from the premise that safer cities are built through intentional preventative action ahead of disasters, and that this requires sustained, multi-stakeholder partnerships and a shared commitment to protecting communities and infrastructure.
Fire hydrants are amongst the most critical, but often overlooked, components of emergency response infrastructure. The current under-maintained state of fire hydrants in the Bay, with a lack of visibility and many not working properly, presented a severe risk for communities, businesses and emergency responders.
Hence their selection for this project, which reflects the purpose of the Risk Management Desk to contribute to a safer and more resilient metro, by moving beyond disaster response towards prevention, preparedness and practical interventions that make real impact.
It is a genuinely collaborative project, with support from Supporting Fire Services, a non-profit organisation working to improve fire services nationally, the endorsement of the NMBM Water Services Department as the custodian of the hydrants, and close involvement of the Fire Department providing training, equipment support and identification of key areas for attention.
In addition, a number of local businesses have come on board as suppliers of the project vehicle, personal protective equipment, technical equipment, paint supplies and training.
A purpose-designed app is used for real-time reporting, tracking and mapping fire hydrants for better future monitoring, and the project team’s on-the-ground experience is assisting in further refining the app.
Through the Youth Employment Service (YES), seven unemployed young people have been trained as fire hydrant technicians and are gaining practical work experience while contributing to a meaningful community safety initiative.
Training to equip them for the job at hand has included the technical aspects of fire hydrant operations, testing and maintenance, as well as paint application, first aid, occupational health and safety, basic firefighting, and snake identification.
However, we believe that youth development needs to go beyond training for one job and thus, similar to other projects by the Chamber that involve youth employment, the training also extends into life skills such as workplace readiness and personal finances.
This approach ensures that the project delivers value beyond maintaining critical infrastructure by investing in young people's employability and personal development.
Since mid-August, the team have been tackling about 15 hydrants a day, moving through residential, commercial and industrial areas in Perseverance, Redhouse, the Baakens Valley, Fairview and Walmer.
Along the way, they have found hydrants barely visible in emergencies due to badly deteriorated markings, being sunk into overgrowth, buried under sand and debris, or illegally paved over, and some non-functional due to severe corrosion, as well as identifying other local infrastructure issues.
This is a further benefit of the project, in that the team have been able to identify and report issues encountered during field operations, including broken valves, water and sewage leaks, and exposed live electrical infrastructure. These issues are logged with the relevant municipal departments through the NMBM app and followed up by the Risk Management Desk.
The project also has a community upliftment component, with the project team assisting with maintenance at old-age homes and children's homes, and they will shortly be undertaking fire safety awareness in schools and communities vulnerable to fire risks.
From a disaster risk reduction and resilience perspective, the Fire Hydrant Project demonstrates the importance of proactive investment in preparedness. By identifying and maintaining critical infrastructure before emergencies occur, the project is helping to strengthen the metro's ability to respond to fires, protect communities and businesses, and reduce potential losses.
The project reflects what is possible when organisations move beyond their individual boundaries and work together to deliver practical, measurable solutions that benefit the entire metro.
Denise van Huyssteen is Chief Executive Officer of the Nelson Mandela Bay Business Chamber.