Elections: In case of emergency

ELECTION NEWS - Emergency services in George are ready and geared up for the upcoming elections on 8 May.

According to George protection services director Steven Erasmus, they will patrol and assist around voting stations across the municipal area.

"Traffic officials will regulate and divert traffic and focus on pedestrian safety in the vicinity of voting stations. The fire department and law enforcement will patrol and assist as necessary," he said.

Men in blue ready to serve
George police officers have undergone detailed training in preparation for election day. According to Southern Cape police spokesperson, Capt Malcolm Pojie, police in the Southern Cape are adequately trained and prepared to successfully manage any incident during the coming election.

"Our operational plan has already been activated. It was compiled to ensure maximum deployment of all our members. Absenteeism will be managed in such a way that we ensure a safe election for all," he said.

He says specialised units like Public Order Policing (Pop) will supplement local police stations and will be deployed in high-risk areas. "Information sessions with all Southern Cape communication officials were recently held to ensure the flow of information during the elections. We will establish a joint operations committee (JOC) from where all police communication will be centralised," Pojie said.

Hospitals and ambulances
Mediclinic George's Judy Muller said that although they are always prepared for any emergency, existing emergency plans will be implemented in case of a major incident.

Nadia Ferreira, communications officer for the Western Cape Department of Health on behalf of George Hospital, assured the George Herald that their facilities always have to be ready to handle any emergency. This will be the same on 8 May.

"We have a contingency plan that will be activated in the case of more than the usual number of emergencies," she said. Sufficient staff will also be on duty.

Ambulance services in the area also confirmed their readiness for election day.

"All our vehicles will be available on election day and we will also have additional staff and volunteers on the day," said Quinton Boshoff of Eden911.

ER24's Johann Prinsloo said that their teams are more than ready and, like always, will be firing on all cylinders.

Members of the George human resource development centre (HRD) responsible for training of police members are, clockwise from left: Sgt Makhi Cutshe, Sgt Dawie van Rooyen, Danie Van Zyl (dedicated ward officer) and Warrant Officer Jonathan Hartnick.