Discovery launches private firefighting service in Joburg

Financial services company Discovery and Advanced Emergency Management Services have launched a private firefighting service in South Africa.

The group said the service will be a value-added benefit primarily to Discovery Insure clients whose vehicle, home or business may be impacted by fire. The service will be available to clients across the majority of the Johannesburg metropolitan area, it said.

“Immediate assistance makes all the difference when that accident that you never thought you’d have, actually happens. The new Fire Force offering is a true manifestation of Discovery’s core purpose of enhancing and protecting lives by keeping our clients and communities safe,” says Anton Ossip, chief executive of Discovery Insure.

“We are proud to partner with the Advanced EMS team to support individuals and small businesses with a rapid response firefighting service that can help to curtail damages, injury and save lives, especially in a city such as Johannesburg where fires are a real concern.”

Fires occur every 6 hours in Johannesburg ⚠️ Introducing #DiscoveryInsure’s latest initiative towards enhancing and protecting lives. We are partnering with @Medi_Response @myfirefighters to provide private emergency assistance to clients in the event of a fire #FireForceZA 🔥 pic.twitter.com/O0wJfZCChO

— @Discovery_SA (@Discovery_SA) June 6, 2022

The Advanced EMS group is enabled by a dynamic range of constituent companies, including Medi Response, Rural Metro and Fire Ops SA.

In addition to Advanced EMS and Fire Operations SA’s existing presence in the market, the Discovery Fire Force project introduces two additional dedicated and fully equipped fire engines to the streets of Johannesburg as well as a number of rapid response support vehicles, the group said.

“Once an emergency call is received in our operations control centre, we will initially dispatch a rapid intervention vehicle that is fitted with an ultra-high-pressure (UHP) pump system, while mobilising additional resources. The UHP unit can be connected to a garden hose and allows a very effective first attack against house fires, car fires and other smaller fires,” said Hadley Shapiro, managing director of Advanced EMS.

“The safety of our clients and the communities in which they live is crucial to the ethos of Discovery Insure. However, implementing important fire prevention strategies at home and within your place of work is equally important.”

Simple actions such as installing smoke detectors, regularly checking electrical connections and the servicing of fire extinguishers can literally save a life, he said.

“I am confident that Fire Force will make a visible and impactful difference in the weeks and months ahead, but I also urge everyone to do their own fire-safety checks to make our families and homes as fire-proof as possible.”

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