1 Mil: Final countdown

2003-06-12 20:51

Pretoria - Fire hazards at Pretoria's 1 Military Hospital should be a thing of the past by next Tuesday, the defence force said on Thursday.

But if they were not, the consequences would be dire, warned Tshwane emergency services spokesperson Johan Pieterse.

"We will not bend the rules for them. This is people's lives we are talking about. If everything is not right by Tuesday, we will close the hospital."

Military health services spokesperson Major Niko Allie said everything possible was being done to ensure that hazards pointed out by fire inspectors last Friday were rectified by next week's deadline.

"I am confident we will be ready."

If not, all patients - more than 1 000 at any given time - would have to be transferred to other public hospitals, Pieterse said.

Fire inspectors who examined the hospital last Tuesday found a shortage of fire extinguishers and smoke alarms, insufficient emergency lighting, obstructed or locked escape routes, and inadequate signage.

The hospital also had to submit a new, revised building plan following recent renovations.

These shortcomings were serious and potentially life-threatening, Pieterse said.

"In a fire, even three minutes can mean the difference between life and death."

He could not state the exact extent of the shortages.

"But the bottom line is, they are not complying with the rules - even if they are only one fire extinguisher short."

The hospital, Pieterse said, had failed to fully adhere to two previous fire hazard warnings, one in 2001 and one in 2002, which were of less serious.

He added his department was kept informed of steps taken to rectify the shortcomings, and was optimistic everything would be ready in time.

Once the process was completed, the focus would shift to other, less dangerous fire hazards identified at the hospital, Pieterse said.

Urgent

The 1 Military Hospital serves military staff and their families, members of other armed forces, United Nations staff, and sometimes visiting foreign diplomats.

Allie said there was no need for patients to worry, as the shortcomings were being urgently addressed.

"There is no cause for concern."

He added the hospital itself had requested the fire risk evaluation. This was after an in-house investigation discovered the problem earlier this month.

The hospital was not previously aware of any problems. Inspections were done by the General Support Base Thaba Tshwane, and reports were given directly to the department of public works, which owns the hospital premises.

"1 Military Hospital never saw the inspection reports."

A departmental spokesperson was not available for comment.

The Democratic Alliance urged Defence Minister Mosiuoa Lekota to ensure that the hospital adhered to safety regulations.

"It will be a major embarrassment if a prestigious hospital such as 1 Military Hospital would be forced to close its doors because of government incompetence and bungling," defence spokesperson Hendrik Schmidt said.

He would recommend that parliament's defence portfolio committee visit other military hospitals to examine their compliance to fire regulations.

- SAPA