New Chief Director Appointed for Provincial Disaster Management Centre

Colin Deiner was appointed as Chief Director for the Provincial Disaster Management Centre on 1 September 2010. This is a new position for the Centre. Anton Bredell, Provincial Minister of Local Government, welcomed the appointment. "It is vital that we employ people who have a wealth of experience in order for them to meet the challenges faced by Disaster Management. I view Colin as a valuable addition to the team, who will provide strong leadership" said Bredell.

Deiner has twenty-four (24) years of collective experience working in emergency services and disaster management. He started his career in 1984 as a fire fighter. He has led the South African Search and Rescue teams to disaster affected areas in India (2001), Algeria (2003), Iran (2003/4), Pakistan (2005) and Haiti (2010). He also led a combined Gauteng emergency services team to the flood ravaged areas in the Limpopo Province in 2000.

In 2005, Deiner was appointed as head of Disaster Management and Fire/Rescue Services in the Gauteng Provincial Government. He has been instrumental in establishing the Gauteng Provincial Disaster Management Centre and he played a leading role in the management of the first declared disaster in the Gauteng province following the attacks on foreign nationals in May 2008.

Deiner is very excited about being in the Western Cape. He says that attention must be focused on the fact that disasters can be prevented. His vision for the Centre is effective service delivery: "We are delivering an essential service and we must always remember that we are serving those people who have been affected by disasters," he says.