A fire occurs in Johannesburg every six hours, according to data from the Fire Protection Association of South Africa. With the risk of fires increasing during the winter season, Discovery Insure has launched the Discovery Fire Force project in Johannesburg, a unique solution aimed at protecting Discovery Insure clients in the metropolitan area from the devastating impact of fires.

Fire Force is a first-to-market partnership between Discovery Insure and Advanced Emergency Management Services (Advanced EMS). It brings firefighting services as a value-added benefit primarily to Discovery Insure clients whose vehicle, home or business may be impacted by fire. The service will be available to clients across the majority of the Johannesburg metropolitan area. 

“Immediate assistance makes all the difference when that accident that you never thought you’d have, actually happens. The new Fire Force offering is a true manifestation of Discovery’s core purpose of enhancing and protecting lives by keeping our clients and communities safe,” says Anton Ossip, CEO of Discovery Insure. “We are proud to partner with the Advanced EMS team to support individuals and small businesses with a rapid response firefighting service that can help to curtail damages, injury and save lives, especially in a city such as Johannesburg where fires are a real concern.”

The Advanced EMS group is enabled by a dynamic range of constituent companies, including Medi Response, Rural Metro and Fire Ops SA. Their joint expertise and industry experience uniquely position Advanced EMS to deliver a world class emergency medical and private firefighting solution. 

“We are thrilled to be partnering with Discovery Insure to bring Fire Force to life. We look forward to handling fire-related emergencies in the spirit of preserving life and protecting property across the Johannesburg metro,” says Hadley Shapiro, managing director of Advanced EMS.

Fire Force brings together the fire-fighting expertise of Advanced EMS and the risk management experience from Discovery Insure to deliver a necessary service to the region. In addition to Advanced EMS and Fire Operations SA’s existing presence in the market, the Discovery Fire Force project introduces two additional dedicated and fully equipped fire engines to the streets of Johannesburg as well as a number of rapid response support vehicles. 

“Once an emergency call is received in our operations control centre, we will initially dispatch a rapid intervention vehicle that is fitted with an ultra-high-pressure (UHP) pump system, while mobilising additional resources. The UHP unit can be connected to a garden hose and allows a very effective first-attack against house fires, car fires and other smaller fires,” explains Shapiro. 

“The safety of our clients and the communities in which they live is crucial to the ethos of Discovery Insure. However, implementing important fire prevention strategies at home and within your place of work is equally important. Simple actions such as installing smoke detectors, regularly checking electrical connections and the servicing of fire extinguishers can literally save a life. I am confident that Fire Force will make a visible and impactful difference in the weeks and months ahead, but I also urge everyone to do their own fire-safety checks to make our families and homes as fire-proof as possible,” Ossip concludes. 

Discovery Insure clients who experience a fire emergency can call the Discovery Emergency Services number on 0860 999 911.  
To find out more about Discovery Insure, please call 0860 751 751 or speak to your financial adviser for more information.