Rössing boosts emergency response

Rössing boosts emergency response Rio Tinto Rössing Uranium has donated N$21 000 to the Arandis Emergency Management Response Service (EMRS), which started operating on 22 December.

Rössing's acting manager for safety, health, environment, communities and protection services, Johannes Silvanus, handed over the donation to representatives of Eagle Ambulance and Rescue Services, who are the coordinators of the project together with the Motor Vehicle Accident Fund and the Arandis town council.

“Our hope is that this donation will assist the important effort of effectively responding to road accident emergencies as well as spreading road-safety awareness and extending this attitude to road users visiting the central, coastal areas this festive season,” Silvanus said.

Terence Ward, coordinator of the EMRS, accepted the donation on behalf of the MVA Fund and said the money would be used for ambulance maintenance.

“Our aim is to respond within 10 minutes of being notified of an accident to give accident victims the best possible chance of survival.

“We need our equipment to be in excellent running condition to realise this aim and Rössing's assistance makes this possible. Thank you for helping us to make a difference through providing quality emergency response services to road accident victims.”

Calls to the EMRS are directed through the MVA call centre on 081 9682.

Erastus Nakathila, acting chief executive officer of the Arandis council, said the council took the initiative to improve the area's emergency response effort during peak holiday periods.

An important component of the programme involves creating a community first responder hub at Arandis.

Twenty Arandis volunteers have been trained to assist the response teams. Eventually the plan is to train 200 volunteers, including police officers and fire teams.

In 2015 Rössing committed over N$18 million to community initiatives.



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