Are Your Ekurhuleni Premises
Legally Fire-Safe?

The by-laws draw a clear legal distinction between owners and occupiers. An owner is the registered owner of any land or premises — including bodies corporate in sectional title schemes and, in deceased or insolvent estates, the executor or curator respectively. An occupier is any person who occupies or exercises control over premises. Both carry obligations. Both can be prosecuted.

Owners are legally required to:

• Ensure all fire-fighting equipment and service installations are maintained in good working order by a competent, SABS-registered person in accordance with SANS 10105 and SANS 1475.
• Keep a comprehensive service record of all fire-fighting equipment on premises and submit it to a designated officer on request.
• Apply in writing for a Certificate of Fitness before any public building or temporary structure is used for gatherings.
• Submit plans in triplicate to the Chief Fire Officer before any construction, addition, alteration or change in floor layout affecting fire safety or dangerous goods storage.
• Display the correct street number — at least 75mm high — clearly visible from the street boundary at all times.
• Notify the Chief Fire Officer in writing of intended measures and a remediation programme wherever a fire risk is found that cannot be rectified immediately.

Occupiers are legally required to:

• Immediately report any fire, accident or dumping of dangerous goods on premises to the Chief Fire Officer.
• Maintain fire-fighting equipment, mitigating agents and service installations in a readily accessible state at all times — any obstruction constitutes an offence.
• Comply with all written instructions and fire protection directives issued by designated officers within specified deadlines.
• Prepare and maintain a compliant Emergency Evacuation Plan within 30 days of premises being designated by the Chief Fire Officer.
• Ensure grass, weeds, shrubs and other vegetation on premises does not become a fire hazard to adjacent properties.

Three critical documents govern fire compliance for most commercial, industrial and public premises in Ekurhuleni. Each has strict conditions, mandatory annual renewal obligations, and serious consequences for operating without a valid document.

Conditions that apply to all three documents:

• Renewal applications must reach the Chief Fire Officer at least one calendar month before the expiry date. Not receiving a reminder does not exempt you from prosecution for an expired document.
• Any expansion, alteration, change in floor layout or change of trade name automatically cancels existing certificates and permits.
• Three sets of plans must be submitted and approved by the Chief Fire Officer before any construction work may begin.
• An MSDS (Material Safety Data Sheet) box — minimum 300 x 400mm, affixed 1.5m above ground level — must be installed at the main entrance of any dangerous goods premises.
• An EEP (Emergency Evacuation Plan) box — minimum 300 x 400mm, painted day-glow orange, marked "EEP" in black letters — must be installed at the main entrance of all designated premises.
• No construction work may begin unless the contractor holds approved, certified plans from the Fire Safety Section of the Service — and those plans must remain on site for inspection throughout construction.

Equipment ratios, approved standards and annual service obligations are among the most frequently inspected — and most commonly violated — areas of fire compliance in Ekurhuleni. Non-compliance is a criminal offence, not simply a deficiency to be rectified at convenience.

Mandatory equipment ratios for registered premises

• Portable fire extinguishers (minimum 9kg or 9L capacity, SANS 1567/810/1573/1571) — at least one extinguisher per 100m² of floor area. The Chief Fire Officer may require more where exceptional hazards are present.
• Hose reels (SANS 543) connected to a water supply maintaining 0.5L per second at 300kPa work pressure.
• Fire hydrants with SANS 1128 Part II couplings — at least one per 1,000m² of floor area.
• Approved sprinkler systems (SANS 10087, SANS 10089, SANS 10131) where required under the National Building Regulations.

Annual maintenance requirements — non-negotiable

• All fire-fighting equipment must be inspected and maintained by a registered, SABS-approved person at least once every 12 calendar months.
• Any person who services a fixed service installation must certify in writing that it is fully functional on completion of the work.
• If a service installation cannot be restored to full function, the Chief Fire Officer must be notified immediately in writing.
• Equipment not conspicuously positioned must be indicated by symbolic safety signs conforming to SANS 1186.
• Extractor fan filters, dampers and screens must be regularly cleaned to prevent fatty or combustible residue accumulation.

A blocked extinguisher, an obstructed hose reel, or a hydrant hidden by stored goods constitutes a criminal offence — regardless of whether a fire has occurred. Inspectors do not need to observe a fire to charge and prosecute.

If your business stores, uses or handles any of the nine dangerous goods groups in quantities exceeding the legal exempt thresholds, a Certificate of Registration is mandatory before you may continue operating. These thresholds are precise and legally defined.

Absolute prohibitions for all dangerous goods premises:

• No ignition source within 5m of any area where dangerous goods are stored — this includes open flames, smoking and any device capable of producing a spark.
• No dangerous goods may be delivered to premises where the owner or occupier does not hold a valid Certificate of Registration.
• No dangerous goods may be dumped into any borehole, pit, sewer, drain, or surface water.
• No delivery hose may lie across a pavement or public road during transfer operations.
• A 9kg dry chemical fire extinguisher must be ready at all times during any delivery of dangerous goods.
• No dangerous good may be transferred to a motor vehicle, aircraft, vessel or boat while the power source is running.
• "No Smoking" signs conforming to SANS 1186 must be displayed prominently in all affected areas.
• Any person entering a storage tank that contained Group III dangerous goods must wear a self-supporting breathing apparatus and be attached to a rescue rope controlled by a competent person.

The by-laws divide the Ekurhuleni area into five fire risk categories. Your property's classification determines the applicable water supply requirements, fire hydrant spacing, and minimum response standards. Understanding your category is the first step to ensuring your infrastructure meets the legal standard.

Any premises designated by the Chief Fire Officer as requiring an Emergency Evacuation Plan (EEP) faces strict procedural obligations. Designation triggers a hard 30-day deadline, and failure to comply is a criminal offence under the by-laws.

Within 30 days of designation, you must:

• Prepare a comprehensive EEP in triplicate, in accordance with Annexure III of the by-laws, and have it ready for inspection and approval by the Chief Fire Officer.
• Constitute an internal Emergency Committee from existing staff and occupiers to coordinate fire protection and drills.
• Establish and schedule regular, documented fire evacuation drills across all occupants.
• Identify a predetermined, safe assembly point outside but within the vicinity of the premises for occupant muster and survivor accounting.
• Install an EEP box — painted day-glow orange, minimum 300 x 400mm, locked — at the main entrance to the premises.

Ongoing legal obligations:

• The EEP must be revised whenever the floor layout changes — and at minimum every 12 months.
• All disciplines involved in a planned drill must receive written notice at least 21 calendar days before the drill date.
• All old versions of the EEP must be collected and destroyed each time an update is issued, to eliminate the risk of confusion.
• The complete EEP and all related documents must be available in the control room for inspection by the Chief Fire Officer at all times.
• Designated staff must be trained in first aid, fire-fighting, emergency evacuation procedures and emergency management.

The EMM Emergency Services By-Laws create criminal offences across a wide range of contraventions. Designated officers — appointed as peace officers in terms of the Criminal Procedure Act — can issue spot fines, serve summons, issue warrants of arrest, seize certificates and remove equipment from your premises.

Actions that constitute specific prosecutable offences:

• Failing to maintain fire-fighting equipment in a readily accessible condition at all times.
• Operating a public building, dangerous goods facility or spraying operation without a valid certificate or permit.
• Altering or attempting to alter any certificate, permit or official document issued under the by-laws.
• Allowing dangerous goods to exceed exempt quantities on unregistered premises.
• Failing to prepare, maintain or update an Emergency Evacuation Plan after designation by the Chief Fire Officer.
• Failing to notify the Chief Fire Officer at least three working days before installing, removing or altering any storage tank, delivery pump, spraying room or fire safety installation.
• Entering a Group III dangerous goods storage tank without prescribed safety equipment and controls.
• Pretending to be a member of the Fire Brigade Service, wearing official insignia, or failing to produce a certificate of appointment when requested.

Navigating the full scope of the EMM Emergency Services By-Laws — from initial plan submissions to annual equipment servicing, certificate renewals, dangerous goods registration and Emergency Evacuation Plan drills — demands specialist expertise, systematic record-keeping and relationships with accredited service providers. That is exactly what Altrafire delivers to businesses across Ekurhuleni.