Seven firefighters who were part of killing the massive fire that damaged Parliament’s building has revealed that they were not given any food to eat while on duty.
According to News24, the firefighters worked from Sunday morning when the fire first began until Monday evening when the fire restarted again and also made it known that whenever a blaze broke out, they were the first on the scene.
“These past few days of putting out the fire have been hectic. You’d think we’d be shown a little bit of compassion considering we’ve been pulling long hours away from our families as the year kicks off,” stated one as per News24.
The firefighters further added that they are meant to receive refreshments every four hours when they are busy battling a massive blaze, but it hardly occurred, reports The Wall.
Also read: Parliament fire reignites
One firefighter confirmed that all they got was what is called a “rat pack” that contained 500ml water, corn beef, biscuits, a fruit bar and one power drink. The firefighter went on to say that the team do not think that people understand the pressure and heat they are put under when battling these fires and no officers asked if they were okay.
However, the City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Safety and Security JP Smith, confirmed that every firefighter was given a 2l hydration pack and cooler containers. According to Smith bottled water is always readily available, as well as access to snacks should they need it.
Meanwhile, Archie Hearne of the SA Municipal Workers’ Union (Samwu) within the Western Cape indicated that they are aware of the allegations made by the firefighters and will be bringing a listing of calls for their mutual curiosity dispute happening on January 26 on the South African native Government Bargaining Council arbitration proceedings towards the City of Cape Town.
Also read:
Picture: Cape {town} Etc gallery