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KwaZulu-Natal veld and forest fire fighters on high alert

KwaZulu-Natal veld and forest fire fighters on high alert

Date: 2013-06-20
Working on Fire (WoF), the Government funded programme to help fight veldfires, has been hard at work during the past few months, as it readied itself for the winter fire season in KwaZulu-Natal, which officially started on the 1st June 2013.

Over 600 WoF veldfire fire fighters are stationed at 27 bases across KwaZulu-Natal. In addition the aerial support is made up of 2 helicopter aerial bombers which can be deployed within minutes to support ground fire fighting crews. Furthermore 2 High Altitude Teams (HAT) are also available as a support in high mountainous areas and can also provide search and rescue services.

These fire fighters are ready to spring into action within minutes of receiving a call for help, following the start of the KwaZulu-Natal fire season. Many specialists expect that there will be an increased risk of veld and forest fires, given the current long term weather forecast for the Province.

According to Maindren Chettiar, the General Manager of WoF in KwaZulu-Natal, "WoF fire fighters are professionally trained to suppress veld and forest fires and they have been deployed throughout KwaZulu-Natal to reduce the personal and economic harm caused by unwanted wildfire. We have deployed our WoF and aerial teams in areas with the highest fire risk, and they can be on the scene of the fire much more quicker once we have received a call for help".

Chettiar also pointed out that the 2012 fire season was difficult in the Province with a total loss of 53000 ha of land due to run away fires, large part of these areas were community lands, thus resulting in community members losing both livestock and homesteads.

"The prospects for the 2013 fire season vary from fair in parts to very bad in others. Parts of the Province experienced severe rains and many landowners were not able to reduce their fuel loads with prescribed burning of fire breaks. People must be very careful as fuel loads are very high and the late rains have delayed the preparation of fire breaks", Chettiar said.

He also cautioned people to be extra careful when starting fires, as a fire can be a friend, to keep the night chill away, to cook a meal but an uncontrolled fire can be the worst foe destroying anything and everything in its path.