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Discovery Insure, the motor insurance division of Discovery Limited, has launched its own fire service in Johannesburg. The Discovery Fire Force project is a one-of-a-kind solution aimed at protecting Discovery Insure clients in the metropolitan area from the devastating impact of fires.
Discovery Insure and Advanced Emergency Management Services (Advanced EMS), the owner of private fire service Fire Ops SA, collaborated for the first time to launch the fire service.
The Advanced EMS group is supported by a diverse set of constituent companies, including Medi Response, Rural Metro, and Fire Ops SA. Their combined expertise and industry experience uniquely position Advanced EMS to provide world-class emergency medical and private firefighting solutions.
The partnership is expected to provide firefighting services as a value-added benefit to Discovery Insure clients, whose vehicles, homes, or businesses may be affected by a fire outbreak. The service will be available to clients throughout the majority of the Johannesburg metropolitan area.
Two branded fire engines and some response vehicles will be added to the existing Fire Ops fleet, which numbers around 20 vehicles, as part of the move to kickstart the service (not all trucks).
The Fire Force service will be available “primarily” to Discovery Insure clients in the greater Johannesburg area and will play an important role in assisting the city in emergencies, particularly at a time when the city is experiencing a fire engine shortage.
Discovery is one of South Africa’s largest and most diverse global financial services firms, specializing in long- and short-term insurance, asset management, savings, investment, and employee benefits.
Gore, a prominent businessman who founded the financial services firm in 1992 as a medical insurer, owns a sizable 7.48-percent stake in the Sandton-based company.
Shares in the leading financial services group were worth R138.5 ($9.02) as of press time on June 7, 1.02 percent lower than its opening price on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange, giving the company a R93.7-billion ($6.1 billion) valuation.
Gore’s 7.48-percent stake is worth R7 billion ($455 million).
