Firefighters back from Canadian fires

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GEORGE NEWS & VIDEO - Two Georgians were among the ten Western Cape firefighters of Working on Fire (WoF) who were deployed to Canada to assist authorities with wildland firefighting efforts.

Sive Zithule of Thembalethu and Mzimkulu Makalima of Lawaaikamp landed in George with the rest of the Western Cape team last Thursday evening.

The cold and wet weather could not dampen their spirits. A welcoming party waited patiently for the Johannesburg flight to land on George soil. Armed with a flag, yellow uniforms and a festive mood, fellow firefighters greeted their colleagues with joy.

Photo gallery: Working on Fire staff from Canada welcomed home

With weeks of firefighting in a foreign country and a tiring trip behind them, Zithule and Makalima were thrilled about the experience and happy to be home.

"Being on the fire line for about 14 consecutive days, with two days of rest, and then another 14 days on the line, can lead to one being fatigued," said Zithule, who was deployed to Canada for the third time.

"We were well prepared, well trained, but being away from home and in a foreign country has never been easy. The deployment was very successful and informative as the Canadians were not only open to us for fighting fires, but also making sure that we familiarise ourselves with their standards of operations which we can implement in this side of the world. They are a very welcoming and friendly nation."

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The rest of the Western Cape team were Thurlo Esau and Lucinda Damons (Uniondale), Wanda Siximba (Pinelands), Nolulamo Masana (Swellendam), Nomanesi Hoboyi (Hermanus), Amanda Mqhamkana (Newlands), Jaquin Klaase (Porterville) and Westley Langeveldt (Limietberg, Paarl).

They were part of a group of 109 firefighters and management from the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environments' Working on Fire programme who were deployed to the province of Manitoba in Canada.

The group left South Africa on 10 August and arrived in Winnipeg, Canada at a time of high fire danger. The wildland fire management resources within the country were exhausted and they were on their highest level, National Preparedness Level 5.

Welcoming home the South African firefighters at OR Tambo Airport in Johannesburg last Thursday morning, 16 September, the Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, Barbara Creecy, praised them for their professionalism and high standards of performance, as reported by Canadian authorities.

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Of these firefighters, 28 were women and 35 had been deployed to Canada before. The request for assistance came through the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre (CIFFC) in terms of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between Canada and South Africa, which provides for the exchange of wildland fire management resources between these two countries. It was WoF's fourth deployment to Canada (2015, 2016 and 2019).

A warm welcome on Thursday 16 September for ten Western Cape firefighters at George Airport.

Provincial general manager Melany Duthie-Surtie (left) welcomes back ground operations manager Wanda Siximba of Pinelands. Siximba had a firm grasp on the South African flag. Photos: Michelle Pienaar