Cape Town - Working for 24 consecutive hours asks a lot of any individual. Doing so while battling a raging fire, inhaling thick smoke, with no chance for a break to eat, may seem like asking for the impossible. But these are the conditions Cape Town’s firefighters have to endure as they put their lives on the line to battle wildfires.
One firefighter, who asked not to be named, said the recent fires had put firefighters under immense strain, and many were starting to crack. “We’ve had a few accidents with our vehicles, guys reversing into cars and trees. Working 24 hours without getting relieved is putting all the firefighters at risk for injury.
“If you are a driver then you put yourself and other firemen at risk if you’re fatigued.
“When you get to a fire, you can only leave when you get relieved, when another fire crew shows up.”
Over the past 10 days, the fires have pushed firefighters to the limit. “We have battled the Kommetjie, Signal Hill and Deer Park fires. Guys have been working around the clock.
“We used to do a 24-hour shift, but in recent years there have typically been relief crews. If we start at 6pm, at 12pm or 2am the rotation crew is supposed to relieve you.
“We do courses called Command System, which explain that you are supposed to have base camps, tents and sleeping bags while battling a fire.
“The command system works on paper but not in reality. After 18 and 19 hours on the scene you see guys are hitting walls, but they’re just expected to stay on scene.”
He told the Cape Argus that being pushed to the limit exposes firefighters to other health risks.
“About five or six guys have worked with smoke inhalation, guys were about to head back, but then got called out to another fire. It is a danger to the fireman pushing them to the limit.”
Asked about the rotation schedule, Chief Fire Officer for the City of Cape Town Ian Schnetler said firefighters work on two rotations: one of 24 and one of 96 hours.
“We have a system where you work 24 hours, but within that 24 hours there are rehabilitation gaps. If you work for 24 hours then you get 48 hours off. With the 96-hour system, for every 96 hours worked, you get three days off,” he said.
Firefighters would work one day on, two days off, and then four days on, three days off.
Another firefighter, trained as a fire truck driver, also expressed concerns about the long hours they are expected to work.
“According to law, you are not supposed to drive it (the fire truck) for more than two hours but sometimes you’re driving 30 hours straight because the fire spreads.”
He said depending on the area of the fire, a platoon would have more than one driver.
“The fire is spreading all the time, and you are in the truck constantly moving as the fire spreads.
“As a field firefighter, I can see danger from a distance, I have more than 30 years service, but the fatigue is a massive issue.
“...we are being treated like dogs.”