Fire-fighters ready action
2006-11-09
THE Western Cape is once again in the grip of another hot dry summer, and with this comes the fear of runaway fires such as the ones which devasted much of the mountains around Franschhoek, Drakenstein and Bain’s Kloof earlier this year.
This year local fire departments will however be assisted by Working on Fire (WoF) fighters who have been extensively trained in fighting veld fires.
The project was established in 2003 and now consists of over 1000 recruits from disadvantaged communities.
They are deployed in teams of 22 as part of a co-ordinated national network of aerial and ground fire-fighting resources.
Not only does this R47,3m government supported program bring relief to exhausted local fire departments, but it offers poverty relief, job creation and a skills transfer programme.
WoF supplies fire-fighting services to the Forestry Industry and is available as a national fire-fighting resource in the event of a disaster or potential disaster.
It was recently announced that eight helicopters equipped with fire-fighting capabilities and four fixed-wing “spotter” aircraft will join the WoF fire-fighters in the Western Cape from 1 December to help fire-fighting efforts in the province over the festive season.
These fire-fighters who are drawn from local communities will attend a safety and survival course later this month to prepare them for the Cape fire season.
With the help of these extra helping hands, devastation could be avoided in the future.
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