Cape Town - Working on Fire (WOF) said it was more than ready to hit the ground running this summer fire season.
The 700 firefighters stationed at various bases across the province who completed their annual Yellow Card training in September have been gearing up and getting ready throughout the year.
General manager Melany Duthie-Durtie said WOF had been hard at work doing prevention work such as fire breaks, block-burns as well as fuel reduction, “while on the other hand, teams across the province are conducting fire awareness education at schools and communities doing door-to-door campaigns, specifically targeting
fire-prone communities”.
She said aerial support consisted of six spotters, five choppers and two bombers and had been stationed in the province since the beginning of November for the fire season.
“We also launched our community fire awareness campaigns, which are aimed at teaching communities how to be fire safe, prevent unwanted veld and forest fires, raise awareness of the risk of veld and forest fires and empower those at risk to take responsibility to reduce the risk and impact of fires in their communities.”
Although the intensity or extensiveness of the upcoming summer
fire season could not be predicted, Duthie-Durtie said WOF was not
taking any chances.
“We still have large portions of areas that have not burned in a while and due to global warming, we have strong winds and they are a big factor in fire the Cederberg, West coast, Table Mountain, Boland, Grabouw area as well as the Garden Route going closer to the Eastern Cape are all areas that are at high risk,” she said.
Duthie-Durtie said resources had been used strategically within the province to ensure timely response, adding that neighbouring provinces would also assist in time of need.
She encouraged community members and landowners to keep an eye on the Fire Danger Index warning not start fires during dry, windy days and always report veld fires immediately.
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