The City\u2019s Safety and Security Directorate is once again investing heavily in the Fire and Rescue Service to ensure fires, and vegetation fires in particular, are effectively dealt with this summer. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Vegetation fires take centre stage during the warmer months. A review of incidents over the four-month period between October and January shows a steady increase in the number of vegetation fires over the past three years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In 2021-\u201922, 5 331 incidents were recorded. The following year it increased to 6 024, and last summer that number increased to 7 190.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWho can forget December 2023, when vast tracts of land in the South Peninsula burnt, keeping firefighters on the front lines for more than a week,\u201d said Mayco Member for Safety and Security Alderman JP Smith. \u201cIt was a mammoth effort and a true test of our systems, but also the City\u2019s relationships with other firefighting entities. We really do hope for an easier ride this time around, but we have prepared nonetheless so we can continue delivering a world-class service to our residents.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Fire & Rescue Service has an operational fleet of more than 200 vehicles, including 73 fire appliances, 27 water tenders, four heavy technical rescue units, 10 aerial appliances and seven water craft.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Annually, between December and April, the Service contracts additional aerial resources.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Other measures in place to bolster firefighting capacity include:.<\/span> A crop of specially trained wildland firefighters employed on fixed-term contracts.<\/span> Ongoing relationships with the Table Mountain National Park and Volunteer Wildfire Services.<\/span> Signed Mutual Aid agreements with some neighbouring District Municipalities for major incidents requiring assistance.<\/span> The use of drones and the Eye in the Sky to help direct firefighting efforts, particularly where terrain is inaccessible<\/p>\n\n\n\n This year Fire and Rescue Service management is rolling out a new strategy based on a review of incident data from previous seasons. This has resulted in a new strategy involving \u201cstrike teams\u201d, which will use smaller 4\u00d74 response vehicles to respond to incidents in rugged terrain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n These special response units will be deployed to specific fire stations, for quick mobilisation in the event of a fire.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe are throwing everything but the kitchen sink at our fire readiness programme, but we need the same energy from our residents,\u201d Smith said. \u201cIt bears repeating that fire safety is everyone\u2019s business. Consider your actions at all times, whether making a braai fire or how you put your cigarette out. If you spot any sign of fire report it immediately. If you spot anyone behaving in a suspicious manner, especially in our mountainous areas, report it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cEven if it turns out to be a false alarm, the time and fuel spent to check it out is still a smaller price to pay than days on the front lines, battling to suppress a fire fuelled by the damaging south-easter that is part of our summer.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The City\u2019s Safety and Security Directorate is once again investing heavily in the Fire and Rescue Service to ensure fires, and vegetation fires in particular, are effectively dealt with this 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