Kwazulu Natal disaster management team gets training from United States' 911

The KwaZulu-Natal disaster management team will get training from the United States' 911 Fund, an official said on Saturday.

Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs MEC Nomusa Dube and Finance MEC Ina Cronjé, met with the 911 Fund at the South African consulate in New York to finalise the elements of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to address the capacity support to disaster management team, spokesman Ntokozo Maphisa said in a statement.

Maphisa said the MOU was finalised and would be signed by KwaZulu-Natal premier in April. The 911 Fund team would then conduct fire fighting capability assessment and provide intervention support.

The programme would also include specialised training in areas of hazardous materials and chemical emergency management. KwaZulu-Natal will be sponsored with the resources like fire trucks, fire equipment and first line response items to the value of R22 million from the fund.

The president of the 911 Fund, Dr Stephan Hittmann appointed Dube as a member of the International 911 Fund Advisory Board.

Dube said :"We are humbled by a good gesture of the fund and all the support that the province is receiving from the 911 Fund.

"We are looking forward to this long term partnership with the United States of America."

- Times Live