Firefighters' Day celebrated in Plett

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PLETTENBERG BAY NEWS - Plettenberg Bay celebrated International Firefighters’ Day for the first time over the past weekend, not only to recognise those who risk life and limb to protect their communities against fires, but to give the public the opportunity to see these brave men and women in action.

“International Firefighters’ Day has been celebrated all over the world for several years now, but on Saturday 5 May we celebrated this day for the first time in Bitou,” said Steve Ritky of the Plett South Fire Management Unit (FMU).

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Many local firefighters and volunteers risked their lives during the June fires last year. During the battle, local volunteer Bradley Richards lost his life and fellow volunteer Ian Barnard was seriously injured.

“The motivation behind the celebration was twofold. We want to recognise all those involved in fighting fires in our area and secondly, get some face-time with the public so that they can see what we are all about,”Ritky said.

The event took place Plettenberg Bay rugby field on Saturday 5 May at 12:00.

“It was a great success. It started out with a moment of silence for Bradley and fallen firefighters before moving on to formalities. After that it was just a fun gathering for all, especially the children.”

There were firefighting displays including a vehicle accident simulation where a patient was “cut out” of the vehicle.

The event also included an official handover of equipment donated to local firefighters from Switzerland. This includes more than 75 thermal barrier fire suits, more than 80 fire-retardant work suits, goggles, helmets, boots, safety lines, pikes, branches, utility belts, 10 standalone pumps and a trailer pump driven by a Porsche 911 engine.