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GARDEN ROUTE NEWS - Garden Route District Municipality (GRDM) Fire and Rescue Services thanked the public in a recent media statement for their contribution to a successful year of firefighting.
It was possible thanks to the public reporting incidents and various role players providing assistance.
During the past financial year, 1 July 2021 to 30 June 2022, no lives were lost in wildfires. A countless number of homes and shacks were protected while only about 40 structures, including shacks, were destroyed by wildfires. Shacks are included in the statistics of the GRDM because the municipality renders a local municipal firefighting function for Kannaland.
"It is because of the world-class firefighting response by the GRDM and the state-of-the-art disaster management centre of the district, that Bojanala Platinum District Municipality (BPDM) visited the region to learn from the best," said Garden Route Mayor Memory Booysen.
Photo gallery: GRDM thankful for successful year of firefighting
The BPDM was here on a mission to benchmark its fire services and meet global standards in its efforts to safeguard its communities.
BPDM Mayor Matlakala Nondzaba said they have chosen GRDM because the district has one of the best firefighting units in the country. "It can never be too late to learn from your peers who are excelling."
Booysen said the region has been hit by several disasters over the past ten years. "This has made us very resilient and experts in coordinating regional responses to emergencies, however, we can improve like any other municipality."
Garden Route and Klein Karoo Tourism supplied gifts to the delegates who promised to visit the region again in the near future.
BPDM visited the GRDM Disaster Management Centre and the main firebase of GRDM at 17 Pioneer Road in Pacaltsdorp Industria. They did a walk-through of the property, learned more about all the firefighting vehicles of the district and were shown how the GRDM's thermal drone operates. At the disaster management centre, they also had the opportunity to learn more about the GRDM's response to emergencies.
Overview of firefighting operations over the past year
During the 2021/2022 financial year, the GRDM has fought over 90 wildfires, either by foot or with the support of aerial firefighting. This means that on average, a wildfire occurs every fourth day of a 365-day period.
With the Garden Route district area being 2,3 million hectares in size, including residential areas, only 12 669 hectares were burned. This means that only 0,54% of the region was impacted by wildfires over the past 12 months.
GRDM acting fire chief Johan Brand said battling blazes always requires a joint response. "The GRDM Fire and Rescue Services thanks all the role players who put their lives on the line to keep communities safe. Role players include CapeNature, South African National Parks (SANParks), Mountain to Ocean (MTO), local municipalities, Working on Fire (WoF), PG Bison, South Cape Fire Protection Agency (SCFPA), Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE), Albertinia and Still Bay Farm Watch, First Care Volunteer Wildfire Services, Knysna Fire Rangers and Bitou Farm Management Unit, local farmers (Mossel Bay, Riversdale, Gysmanshoek) and volunteers."
Another contributing factor to the success of firefighting efforts is resources. The GRDM Fire and Rescue Services Unit has the following transport assets: five tankers, six firefighting bakkies, a command vehicle, hazardous material fire truck and a quad bike.
In addition to their rapid response to fires, 40 GRDM firefighters from bases in George, Riversdale and Ladismith held 36 information sessions with schools and communities throughout the seven municipal areas, amounting to three visits per month.
If the public comes across any wildfire, please contact the GRDM emergency call centre on 044 805 5071. The call centre is operational 24/7.
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