Secunda came to a standstill in December when a lifelike community emergency exercise was carried out along Walter Sisulu Drive.

The simulated emergency had motorists and community members in the vicinity, who were unaware of the fact that the emergency was staged, running helter-skelter from the scene. To many it was the most horrific accident they had ever seen. 

The practical emergency exercise, aimed at evaluating the response and readiness of all community awareness emergency response (CAER) members in the event of any catastrophe and life threatening situation, enjoyed the participation of the municipal emergency services, support services, the Govan Mbeki fire, traffic, disaster and health departments, the SAPS, Mpumalanga Emergency Medical Services, the provincial hospital, a local private hospital, SANBS, the local media, SANCO and other NGOs. 

The lifelike accident scenario was created and resolved by various Sasol divisions, demonstrating their expertise in ensuring the safety of the community, should such a catastrophic event ever take place.

At approximately 08:48 a fuel tanker, moving in a westerly direction along Oliver Tambo Drive, misjudged the traffic light and careened into Walter Sisulu Drive, where it collided with a cargo truck transporting sulphur-laden matter.   

The impact propelled the fuel tanker into a stationary vehicle with passengers aboard at the traffic light, causing a 25 mm tear to its load compartment which released fuel on the road surface. 

One of the stationary vehicles then set the fuel vapour alight and this resulted in the bags containing the sulphur matter to ignite. Before long, massive flames engulfed four stationery vehicles. 

The ignited sulphur produced sulphur dioxide, which resulted in fumes affecting 10 pedestrians in the vicinity spurring one a member of the public to report the incident to the Secunda Emergency Services.  Once the information was received by the Goven Mbeki 107 control room, emergency services were dispatched to the scene, with the assistance of Secunda FM 97.6 and Hamnet’s public warning system covering Secunda, Trichardt and Embalenhle. 

The simulated accident and following clean-up process enabled all the different disciplines involved to command and resolve the different processes as a team, prompting Mr Raymond Bruwer, convenor of the Operation Alert Committee, to express heartfelt thanks to all involved in the highly successful exercise.  DM