Epping Industria 1 became a disaster zone earlier today, 11 May 2016, as the City of Cape Town and various other agencies staged a simulated tanker explosion to test the response times and preparedness of emergency services and businesses.

This is the latest in a series of emergency exercises coordinated by the City’s Disaster Risk Management Centre every year. The last exercise in February simulated a rail disaster which involved a train colliding with a diesel tanker en route to the Simon’s Town Naval Base, causing the train to catch alight. A hazardous spill also formed part of that scenario.

Today’s simulation involved a leaking tanker en route to Afrox in Gunners Circle which subsequently exploded as a result of the gas leak. The exercise tested the reaction of all who were affected in the immediate aftermath of the explosion, but also the necessary evacuation of staff and residents in the surrounding areas as a result of the ‘gas leak’.

A number of aspects were built into the exercise, including wind direction, as the wind would move the gas leak in a certain direction. This in turn has an impact on decisions around who to evacuate and from where and also which road closures to effect.

‘It sounds like a scene from a Hollywood movie, but it’s something that we need to be ready for so that we can protect Cape Town’s residents. The City’s emergency services do a lot of proactive risk mitigation, education and awareness work in our communities. There are certain scenarios that cannot be prevented so all you can do is ensure that you’re as equipped as possible in the event that something like a tanker explosion, hazardous material leak or spillage does occur,’ said the City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Safety and Security, Alderman JP Smith.

Companies that participated in the exercise were Afrox, Glaxo Smith Kline, Fine Chemicals, the Epping Market and Pioneer Foods. From the City’s side, the Disaster Risk Management Centre, their volunteer corps, the Fire and Rescue Service, Traffic Services, Law Enforcement, Metro Police, the Public Emergency Communication Centre (PECC) and City Health’s Air Quality Monitoring Unit participated. Other external agencies who formed part of the Disaster Coordinating Team for the exercise were the South African National Defence Force, the South African Police Service, Metro EMS, Metrorail, PRASA, Forensic Pathology Services, and the Epping Industria Central Improvement District.

‘Our staff are highly trained, but when you have a number of different role players descending on the scene of an emergency, they need to be coordinated in a manner that helps bring the incident under control as soon as possible. That is the reason why we have these exercises: to ensure that we’re as prepared as we can be in the event of a disaster by running drills but also identifying any potential shortcomings that need to be addressed. In this way we can ensure a safer city for residents,’ said Alderman Smith.