PLETTENBERG BAY NEWS - Plettenberg Bay will be celebrating International Firefighters’ Day for the first time this 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 will be celebrating this day for the first time in Bitou,” says Steve Ritky of the Plett South Fire Management Unit (FMU).
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 is 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 says.
The event will take place at the Plettenberg Bay rugby field on Saturday 5 May at 12:00.
“We expect it to be a lovely family gathering. Everyone is welcome. We are going to light some braai fires and encourage residents and visitors to bring along some meat and braai with us.”
There will also be firefighting displays including a vehicle accident simulation where a patient will be “cut out” of the vehicle.
The event will also include 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.
Ritky says they would welcome anyone interested in joining as a volunteer to attend and to see what it is all about.
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