GEORGE NEWS - In preparation for the coming veld fire season from December to March, local firefighters from WOF (Working on Fire) had to pass a physical fitness test and do the "fire walk", which entails literally walking through flames.
Some of them had passed the ultimate test in June, of course, when they fought the wildfires of Knysna.
They faced the sea of flames with scorching temperatures and wind speeds of 100km per hour.
It goes without saying that this is something they will not easily forget.
WOF firefighter Hildegard Primo said it was a privilege to have been part of the dedicated team who managed to halt the inferno.
Training camp
WOF is the Department of Environmental Affairs' programme to help fight veld and forest fires.
Within the Western Cape, the Yellow Card Training (YCT) camp was officially launched on Tuesday 26 September and continues until Friday 6 October.
More than 760 firefighters, from 28 bases within the province, will undergo a YCT camp to refresh their firefighting skills and test their physical and mental fitness in preparation for the coming fire season.
These firefighters have been deployed across the province to reduce the personal and economic harm caused by unwanted veld and forest fires.
The 'fire walk' is part of WOF firefighters' readiness training for the Western Cape veldfire season. The Yellow Card training was carried out at Witfontein on the outskirts of George last Wednesday.
WOF Acting General Manager Felicia Ngwasheng said they are expecting an excellent pass rate from the Southern and Western sectors.
"Together with our various stakeholders and partners, we aim to tremendously reduce the risk of fires throughout the province, and ensure that our communities remain safe from unwanted fires," she said.
During the 2017 winter fire season, more than 1 000 WOF firefighters assisted partners in suppressing 24 fires, limiting the areas burnt to approximately 40 065 hectares.
Firefighting aircraft spent 265 hours flying, 238 of them in fighting the fires that swept across the Garden Route in June.
Track record
Over the past two years, WOF Western Cape assisted local and private landowners with the suppression of close to 550 fires.
WOF provides fire suppression and prevention services to a whole range of landowners throughout the Western Cape such as CapeNature, Southern Cape Fire Protection Association, South African National Parks, Greater Overberg FPA, and the Greater Cederberg Fire Protection Association.
ARTICLE & PHOTOS: PAULINE LOURENS, GEORGE HERALD JOURNALIST
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