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GEORGE NEWS AND VIDEO - Eden's first dedicated emergency firefighting airstrip is being launched at the Denneoord Aerial Fire Base this morning (Wednesday 6 December).
The event kicked off with a keynote address by Mayor Melvin Naik.
Other speakers include representatives from Working on Fire, National Department of Forestry and Fisheries, George Municipality and Eden District Municipality.
"We cannot do away with natural disasters but we can eliminate those that are caused or exacerbated by human factors," said Cyril Ndou, Director of National Department of Forestry and Fisheries.
Yellow fixed wing airplanes on the newly launched airstrip contributed to an air of excitement during the opening this morning.
Click here for a photo gallery.
The aerial base is operated by Working on Fire, a programme funded by the Department of Environmental Affairs, where five aeroplanes and a chopper will be stationed for the fire season from December 2017 to April 2018.
Municipalities in the Eden District Municipality, in association with the Southern Cape Fire Protection Association, will work with Working on Fire on a call-out basis as services are required.
The airbase consists of a 1000m x 30m runway, 20m-diameter helipad, fire base office (existing municipal building upgraded), hangars, taxiways and water refilling point.
George Fire Chief, Neels Barnard said residents of neighbourhoods in the flight circuit area of the Denneoord airstrip could be rest-assured all safety precautions were being taken and flyovers, landings and take-offs were all within the legal parameters set out in the South African Civil Aviation Act.
Watch a video below.
Working on Fire.
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