Cape Town – Local Sea Cadets have been hailed for their quick thinking and fast action when
they saw a boat on fire at Hout Bay harbour on Saturday.
After finishing their lunch at the harbour, TS Woltemade commanding officer Lieutenant-Commander Paul Jacobs and Midshipman Mikayla Pillay spotted flames and smoke billowing out of a small craft, which was out of the water on a trailer parked next to a building.
The TS Woltemade, based in Lakeside, is one of several Sea Cadet
units throughout South Africa that provides nautical and maritime training to teenagers between 13 and 18 years old.
The pair’s Sea Cadet and
firefighting training kicked in as they took charge of the situation.
Jacobs and Pillay enlisted volunteers to help them and manoeuvred the burning boat away from the building, reducing any possible risk to people and surrounding infrastructure.
They also managed to get the flames under control before the fire engines arrived.
By this time a crowd had gathered to observe their skills in the face of a growing blaze. Lieutenant-Commander Glenn von Zeil said Level 1 firefighting and first aid training was provided to Sea Cadets.
“These are the same courses which adults complete and that are accredited,” he said.
“This incident is an example of where Sea Cadet officers utilised the training they have to ‘take charge’ of an incident, assess the situation and the risks, and quickly formulate a plan of action to minimise damage and address the threat.
“These are skills and actions all South African citizens should have and utilise to assist nation building,” Von Zeil added.
The TS Woltemade - the TS stands for training ship - has a permanent base in Lakeside.
The mission of the Sea Cadets is to provide and promote basic training and skills for young people interested in, or looking for a career in, maritime and related industries.
For more information on the South African Sea Cadets and training ships across South Africa, visit: http://seacadets.za.org