R231 000 Fire Alarm Donation Ensures Peace-Of-Mind for Elderly and Disabled Residents of Durban’s Coronation House
For Immediate Release:
Thursday 1 November 2018
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Elderly and disabled residents of Coronation House, a crucial component of the Durban-based non- government organisation (NGO) Natal Settlers Memorial Homes, can sleep peacefully at night, safe in the knowledge that a brand new R231 000 fire detection and alarm system will provide staff with the early warning necessary to evacuate people safely.
The system installation is the result of a donation by the South African Muslim Charitable Trust (SAMCT) after hearing of the organisation’s plight and vitally needed new alarm system to safeguard the facility’s 55 residents, the majority of whom are frail or disabled.
Commenting at the official hand-over of the alarm on the importance of having an up-to-date early warning system, SAMCT Trustee, Mr Gaf Osman, said: “There can be no doubt that elderly people are significantly more at risk from fire than others. Sadly, ageing and, especially, old age has the effect of reducing our ability to act. In terms of fire safety, factors which impact the aged include the ability to perceive, comprehend and to move swiftly. This inability to act also increases the risk of a fire breaking out. The bottom line is that failing mobility, hearing, sight or cognitive faculties severely limit the ability of those in special accommodation, such as Coronation House, to act quickly and decisively in escaping a fire.”
The 69-year-old Natal Settlers Memorial Homes organisation has expanded from originally serving just 20 residents to providing accommodation and health-care to some 350 vulnerable people.
“This is quite remarkable and indicates the level of concern by all those who run this organisation. The costs of maintaining this operation in the face of the prevailing trying economic times we face, make their task all the more daunting, with vital funding increasingly hard to come by,” he added.
Many of the organisation’s residents fall into the lower income group and are dependent on State grants and its financial situation is further impacted by the fact that Government funding for the support of vulnerable elderly and disabled citizens is inadequate to meet the actual costs of accommodating and effectively caring for those in need.
Mr Osman stressed: “In spite of such financial challenges, Natal Settlers Memorial Homes has always remained totally committed to providing its invaluable services to all those it serves with such distinction. Its requirements are indeed great, but a pressing need and an identified priority was a new fire detection and alarm system for the organisation’s Coronation House. Early identification of a fire is imperative in order to provide staff the time to quickly move into action, evacuating residents in a calm and orderly fashion.”
He said that the SAMCT recognised that NGOs constantly face an uphill battle in terms of both securing scarce funds and maintaining and improving their infrastructure, adding that the SAMCT was created in 2008 to provide funding, services and other resources for the improvement of the lives of the vulnerable, deprived and disadvantaged.
Mr Osman said: “The SAMCT has delivered sizeable assistance solutions throughout the country, irrespective of race or religion and work to support to needy organisations in the fields of health, social development, poverty alleviation and education. In becoming aware of the urgent need to install a new fire detection and alarm at Coronation House, we were delighted to assist, making funds available for the installation of a new, ultra-modern system, tailored for use in a place of care, such as Coronation House. It is our hope that Coronation House staff will enjoy the peace-of-mind that should the unthinkable happen, they will now be better equipped to snap into action, ensuring the safety of all in their care,” he added.
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For more information about SAMCT or its Natal Settlers Memorial Homes Fire Detection and Alarm System donation, please contact:
Rasheeda Motala: Social Responsibility Co-ordinator – samct@samct.co.za