RDM safety exercise, public told not to be alarmed

The City of Cape Town’s Disaster Risk Management Centre is coordinating a safety exercise with Rheinmetall Denel Munition (RDM) on Wednesday from 10am at the RDM plant in Firgrove, Macassar.

The two hour exercise will include a realistic scenario with smoke and sirens, and authorities said the public should not be concerned when the exercise is carried out.

Disaster Risk Management spokesperson Charlotte Powell said: “RDM is a major hazardous and critical infrastructure installation, and therefore, this exercise is an essential part of our ongoing efforts to evaluate RDM’s capability to execute its emergency response plan and the coordination of emergency services in the event of an emergency.

“To facilitate the exercise, a realistic scenario will be created involving smoke and sirens. There will also be road closures at the corner of Reeb and Macassar Roads, Macassar.”

The exercise is being done in collaboration with various other agencies, including the City's Fire and Rescue Service, police, the South African National Defence Force, Emergency Medical Services and City services.

“Members of the public are advised that emergency vehicles will respond to the scene. The public need not be concerned, as this deployment forms part of the exercise.

“Preparedness exercises like this are an important part of ensuring that the City is able to deal with disaster situations, in line with our commitment to creating a safe city,” said Powell.

Cape Times