For Immediate Release
- Name of Press Contact: Chantal Adlard
- Date: 10 April 2020
- Phone: +27 82 717 9051
- Email: info@putitout.co.za
Put It Out Mini Fire Extinguisher To Help Prevent Shack Fires In South Africa
- The Put It Out Mini Fire Extinguisher is a product to be used in shacks around South Africa, which was designed to be extremely cost-effective (R30), but also non-toxic, easy to use, requires no maintenance as well as other benefits that help make more useful than a conventional fire hydrant or other fire-prevention product
- The Put It Out company is seeking funding both from large companies as well as taking donations from the public, where each donation will help see a mini fire extinguisher be sent to a rural community.
- The aim of the company is to help send 200,000 units to various rural communities around South Africa
10 April 2020 – Put It Out, a very ambitious company set to help eradicate the fires that plague rural communities in South Africa through their use of their mini fire extinguisher is now ready to start its product release. The Put It Out fire extinguisher saw it’s first media coverage after coming 3rd place in the SAB Foundation Social Innovation and Disability Empowerment Awards 2019. The product itself is cheap, easy-to-use, requires no maintenance and contains no toxic chemicals. This makes ideal to distribute to shacks and rural communities around South Africa where a small fire say from knocking over a paraffin lamp could lead to disastrous results. The new Put It Out marketing campaign is aiming to deliver at least 200,000 mini fire extinguishers during the winter period where the chances of a fire are the highest.
“The most hazardous of common energy appliances in use in SA is the non-pressure paraffin stove, which is also the main cause of fires and burn injuries,”
Authors DK Kimemia and A van Niekerk
The inspiration of the mini fire extinguisher came from its creator, Toli Altounis, after struggling with seeing all the fires that spread through Khayelitsha in 2015. This is because most shacks are built with highly combustible materials, have no access to running water and because they are built close to each other there is no infrastructure for fire trucks to access the area and effectively combat fires. We wanted this product to require no maintenance, unlike other fire extinguishers on the market. After we realised that there weren’t any cheap and reliable fire-protection products available in South Africa, we decided to do some market research. What we found was more alarming than we first imagined.
The idea itself is simple, but the product took over 4 years of testing in order to bring down costs and to make the nozzle strong and user friendly. The fire extinguisher is a pouch that contains acetate acid (similar to vinegar). Within the pouch lies a capsule, which contains sodium hydrogen carbonate (similar to baking soda). When a small fire starts, the user simply breaks the seal and opens the lid, pops open the capsule, then sprays the contents onto the fire. All of this can be achieved within seconds by anyone, including small children or the elderly.
Someone dies in a shack once every 2 days – they take more lives than all other fires combined.
Lumkani
Even though COVID-19 is controlling the media right now, there are still other ways to assist people living in rural communities. This marketing effort will be used to create fire awareness around South Africa. During the lockdown period, more people will be staying indoors, which in turn can increase the chances for a fire to occur. This combined with winter season, where more heaters, lamps and flammable items (blankets) will be used means that South Africa could see many deaths due to COVID-19 as well as small shack fires. Put It Out aims to prevent one of those issues from occuring through the generous citizens and companies in South Africa.
The Put It Out Mini Fire Extinguisher is the safest, easiest and most cost-effective way of extinguishing fires in rural communities in South Africa. After coming 3rd place in the SAB Foundation Social Innovation and Disability Empowerment Awards in 2019, Put It Out seeks to reduce the impact of fires that have devastated families in informal settlements and townships in South Africa and across the globe by empowering residents. To achieve this, the company is asking for companies (or individuals) to donate fire extinguishers that will then be sent out to rural communities. To find out more about Put It Out and its venture visit their site www.putitout.co.za or contact Chantal via phone (+27 82 717 9051) or email (info@putitout.co.za).