Fire season is in full swing

GARDEN ROUTE NEWS - With fire season in full swing in South Africa, the Southern Cape Fire Protection Association (SCFPA) has highlighted the importance of being fire-wise.

The SCFPA was established in 2006 as an NPC and operates in an area of more than eight million hectares across the Garden Route District Municipality, Tsitsikamma, the Langkloof, the Baviaanskloof and the Central Karoo District Municipality.

It promotes integrated fire management to minimise losses to social, economic and ecological assets through the implementation of strategies focusing on awareness, fire protection, prevention and support during suppression.

SCFPA Eastern Region manager Dirk Smit said many people do not realise what the SCFPA does and encouraged communities to become part of the initiative.

He added that some of the primary objectives included empowering members within communities to become more aware of the risks of fire, empowering them to act proactively to reduce hazards and vulnerability of assets, allowing them to act as fire response to fire emergencies, initiating integrated fire management in the most cost-effective way possible and advising and assisting members and authorities with regard to legal requirements.

"In so doing, communities become safer and are more prepared in the event of a fire emergency. Through the creation of an enabling framework and greater awareness, fewer ignitions will result in less spread and more efficient suppression of veld fires," Smit said.

The South Cape Fire Protection Association coverage area.

Some of the benefits of being part of the SCFPA include shared resources between members regarding firefighting equipment, resulting in a cost saving for individual members.

Members also have access to the fire danger index and have increased coordination in the event of a wildfire. Another benefit is the reduction of fire-related risk by means of e.g. fuel load management, prescribed burns, alien invasive plant control and fire breaks.

Members also receive assistance in the event of extreme fire conditions through the provision of trained firefighting teams and management.

"Training can be provided for new members in basic veld fire fighting at a subsidised rate and additional training can be arranged by the SCFPA at a considerably reduced cost," said Smit.

The SCFPA also initiates fire awareness campaigns to make members and the public more aware of the risks of uncontrolled wildfires.

It also negotiates support from Working on Fire and other government initiatives. "Members adhering to the rules of the SCFPA will automatically comply with legislation including the 'presumption of negligence' clause in the National Veld and Forest Fire Act, 101 of 1998, which entails that an FPA member will be presumed by law not to be negligent and the onus and cost to prove negligence will be the responsibility of the non-FPA member."

The SCFPA is managed by an executive committee which is represented by role players from various forms of land use practice within the Southern Cape, namely farming, organised forestry, conservation, together with various local government departments and parastatals.