Mossel Bay: Controlled burning this weekend

MOSSEL BAY NEWS - The Mossel Bay Environmental Partnerships (MEP) Strategic Firebreak Project is ready to start the burning phase on October 1, at various sites that have been approved by the Mossel Bay Fire Department.

This project is sponsored by Mossel Bay Municipality and PetroSA, and is being implemented by the Oyster Bay Reserve for MEP. The project brief 1 is finally complete, in which over 102 previously disadvantaged community members have been employed throughout Mossel Bay. In project brief 2, the focus is on setting up cooperatives to undertake the required work.

The Community Strategic Firebreak Project has had six community teams working at different locations to undertake the various firebreaks identified.

OBR interns to facilitate burning
In the burning phase, approved areas will be cleared and burnt in blocks. The burning of cleared stacked vegetation will assist in reducing the fuel load once and for all. This will officially complete the initial firebreaks that have been created.

The burning is proposed to start on Sunday, 1 October onwards in Heiderand and Freimersheim, weather permitting.

The Oyster Bay Reserve interns have been managing this project for the past seven months, overseeing the clearing of firebreaks, issuing staff PPE clothing, managing equipment, through to overseeing all the staff administration and support. The students have been working very closely with the Mossel Bay Fire Department.

The Oyster Bay Reserve is implementing this project for MEP, by focusing on creating effective firebreaks in areas identified by the Mossel Bay Fire Department. These firebeaks have been created to act as a definite boundaries to assist providing access in fighting any future fires that could spread into residential areas from open areas.

Open unmanaged natural areas are high in natural fuel loads (dead branches, et cetera) and thus very prone to human arson and ignitions. The urban fringes are the first line of defence to prevent and fight such fires from damaging property. The firebreaks will create safer environments for residents.

The intention of the proposed burning is to remove the piles of dead cleared vegetation matter through a controlled burning process. The burning, implemented by a qualified burning team, will reduce the fuel load and stimulate new growth.
Notice of intent to burn

The planned burning of vegetation will take place in Friemersheim on Sunday, 1 October. This will take place on the newly formed municipal strategic firebreak that starts behind the shop (S33°57.247; E22°08.485) along Kretzen Street, up to the church, up to Pine Grove.

Similar burning of alien vegetation will also take place in Heiderand and Dana Bay, from opposite the Correctional Services (S34° 11,149'; E022° 05.592) up to the back of South Cape College; and the municipal erven (S34°11.493 ; E022°05.426) next to Pinnacle Point Road, leading up to the water tower (S34°11.614; E22°06.301), throughout October.

The firebreaks have been cleared and the dry alien material is all already stacked, in order to be burnt. The necessary fire permits have been applied for and a reputable community burning contractor, in conjunction with the Mossel Bay Fire Department, will undertake the required burning. Burning will only commence pending suitable weather conditions.

Public participation
The Oyster Bay Reserve are inviting all local conservancy members and conservation-passionate community members to join in on a pre-walk through the area proposed to be burnt, in order to move smaller fauna. Please contact the Mossel Bay Fire Department for any fire or burning related questions or the Oyster Bay offices at 044 693 3164 to join in on the fauna search.

ARTICLE: KELLY-JANE PEO - Mossel Bay Advertiser

FIRE - A (real) burning issue

Fire is a terrifying thing. It tears through homes, guts buildings, destroys property and devastates the lives of those who survive it. Many don’t.

Years ago, as a field reporter, I covered the story of a fire at an electrical sub-station in Johannesburg in which a man died. Authorities suspected the victim had been living in the sub-station and had inadvertently touched a live wire, starting the blaze late at night. Early the following morning, I caught a glimpse of his blackened body through the painted slats of an air vent. It is an image that has stayed with me in vivid detail, one I wish I'd never seen: the badly burnt corpse somehow frozen in time, crouching, one hand outstretched, his face formless, its features seared away. Perhaps worse than that stiff figure was the smell of burnt flesh, unexpectedly sweet and cloying.

Every time I hear or read about another fatal fire, I’m taken straight back to that scene. Recently, that’s once again been happening disturbingly often. A series of fires in people’s homes – their houses, shacks or shelters – has by my count claimed at least 15 lives in Gauteng and the North West alone since the beginning of June. Twelve of them were children; some were as young as two years old. Each of these victims died an undoubtedly horrible death, just like the man whose body I saw must have done. Yet we risk giving each of these personal tragedies the same, almost dehumanizing treatment. The term "charred body" is used in the media on a regular basis, as is the description "burnt beyond recognition". I’m quite sure I used one or both of them in the reports I did from that sub-station. The phrases are somehow safe, unemotional, devoid of the horror that must surely have come before. They insulate us as journalists and consumers of news from the reality of what we’re dealing with on an almost daily basis in the winter months.

To add to this feeling of familiarity, of strange routine, municipal and emergency officials issue the same warnings year after year: “Don’t leave heaters or open flames unattended”, “Don’t throw your cigarette butts out of your car window”, or “Don’t set small fires that might develop into a bigger problem”. There seem to be a lot of don’ts around fire safety, but what about the dos?

For instance, “Do talk to your children about the dangers of fire and how to protect themselves”. I’m not a mother, so I can’t imagine the pain of the Pretoria woman who lost her two young children in a house fire in Montana last week, but it was harrowing to cover as a news story. She had tried and failed to rescue them from the flames and had then, one can only assume in desperation and panic, apparently told them to hide in a cupboard. A wooden cupboard. During a fire?

As I said, I’m not a mother. But if I were, having heard this story, I hope I would sit down with my children and have a very real discussion about fire safety. Would things have been any different for the Montana family had they identified an escape route for the children in case of a fire in their home? Or if they had spoken about what to do if you find yourself caught in a blaze? Possibly not. These children were very young. But somehow, surely, this story could have, should have, had a better ending.

Here’s another do: “Do think about the risk of fire. Every day.” Each winter, it seems, tragedy focuses our thoughts on an issue that should be top of mind all the time. It’s been just over a year since the fire at the Struisbult care centre in Ekhuruleni on 13 June 2011, in which 12 people died. In August 2010, 18 people were killed at the Pieter Wessels home for the aged in Nigel, also on the East Rand. There were flurries of attention, recrimination and promises of improvements in the wake of both. And yet here we sit, in the winter of 2012, with at least six families already destroyed by fire.

In some way, I’ve been involved in the coverage of each of the stories I’ve mentioned in this piece. You’d think that I’d follow my own advice. Yet a few days ago, I left an old wall heater on all night with a dog blanket lying right up against it, in a house with dry-as-tinder knotted pine ceilings and electrics I know were badly laid decades ago. The next morning, I sat next to the cooling heater sick to my stomach, thinking of the man in the sub-station and what could have happened to me, to my family. Even with the understanding I’ve gained as a journalist over the years about how easily fires start and how quickly they can spread and what damage they can do, I had made one of the most basic mistakes. Will I be as lucky next time? Will you?

Camilla Bath is the Deputy News Editor for Eyewitness News, in Johannesburg.

- EWN

Plettenberg Bay retirement village prepared for fires

Ian Armour with the Fire Ferry Trailer he constructed for Formosa Garden Village, which acquired the trailer to ensure better response time in case of a fire emergency.

PLETTENBERG BAY NEWS - Formosa Garden Village, a retirement village in Plettenberg Bay recently took delivery of a custom-made Fire Ferry Trailer.

According to Phillip Wentzel, manager at the village, this decision was taken in order to improve safety standards. He said that some South African old age homes had recently burnt down, prompting the acquisition of practical fire-fighting equipment "for the safety and peace of mind of residents".

Ian Armour was commissioned to construct this special trailer. He has been building customised trailers for more than 20 years and boasts being the only SABS-approved trailer manufacturer in the area.

According to Armour, a water tank and fire-fighting hoses are not easy to transport to the scene of a blaze in an emergency; hence the need for a fully functional self-contained fire-fighting unit. The Fire Ferry Trailer also holds accessories such as helmets, coats, spades, axes and fire-extinguishers for six people, to enable an instant response to a fire threat.

Formosa Garden Village were involved throughout the construction process, from concept through completion. The aim is to minimise response time and take the pressure off the fire department. Armour is of the opinion that this design would be the ideal solution for private estates, game reserves, golf courses and similar facilities.

- Knysna/Plett Herald

SAWDOS: Fire prevention starts at home!!

The recent spate of home fires which lead to several deaths, made me more conscious about safety in and around the home. I would like to encourage every household to look at safety in and around the home. Do you have an emergency evacuation plan for your house, business or work-place? What will happen if a fire starts in you house while you are asleep at night? Do you have an early warning system and the necessary equipment to prevent a small fire from spreading?

You do not need a bag of money to acquire elementary fire warning/fighting equipment. After accessing my current home outlay I decided to purchase a Crowbar, Smoke Alarm and Fire Extinguisher to assist me in getting out alive in the event of a fire in my home.

Now let's look at each item separately:


Crowbar - is a tool consisting of a metal bar with a single curved end and flattened points, often with a small fissure on one or both ends for removing nails.

It is used as a lever either to force apart two objects or to remove nails. Crowbars are commonly used to open nailed wooden crates. Common uses for larger crowbars are: removing nails, prying apart boards, and generally breaking things. Crowbars can be used as any of the three lever classes but the curved end is usually used as a first-class lever, and the flat end as a second class lever.

I will be using the crowbar to break away burglar bars in the event that my family must get out of the house when the fire is blocking normal escaping corridors.

This is a very useful tool to have, not only for breaking things, but also as an improvised weapon.

Normally made of medium-carbon steel they can alternatively be made from titanium, which has the advantages of being lighter, and nonmagnetic.

The least expensive, most common crowbars are forged from hexagonal, or sometimes cylindrical stock. More expensive designs may be forged with an I-shaped cross-section shaft.


Smoke Alarm - The alarm is a smoke detector of the photo cell principle.  This means that the alarm checks the air for smoke resulting from fire.  It does not detect heat, gas or fire.  If the smoke detector is properly mounted and maintained it will sound an alarm in an early stage.  In the event of a fire this can give you those extra seconds needed to vacate your home and either fight the fire with a fire extinguisher or call the fire brigade depending on the extent of the fire.  The alarm is designed to detect smoke. It cannot prevent a fire.

The smoke alarm is battery operated and is equipped with a photoelectric sensor, designed to alert you and your family to the dangers of smoke and fire.  The smoke alarm protects you even during a power failure.  The unit has a test button - test unit's electronic circuitry, horn and battery function.  It also has a low battery indicator, red LED indicator with loud 85 dB alarm.


Always ensure that there is an evacuation plan, discuss this with your family.  Ensure that each room can be left without opening the door, e.g. by the window.  It there is any question as to the cause of the alarm, it should be assumed that the alarm is due to an actual fire and the dwelling evacuated immediately.

The alarm that I installed already showed it's worth recently when a pot of rice burned on the stove.  I can confirm that this unit works as described.


Fire Extinguisher - I have two fire extinguishers in my arsenal - 1kg DCP and 1kg STP

The 1kg DCP and STP extinguishers is a very popular extinguisher among retail consumers. It’s small size makes it easily storable, while it is still recognised as a competent and reliable extinguisher should a small fire threaten.

A fire extinguisher is an active fire protection device used to extinguish or control small fires, often in emergency situations. It is not intended for use on an out-of-control fire, such as one which has reached the ceiling, endangers the user (i.e. no escape route, smoke, explosion hazard, etc.), or otherwise requires the expertise of a fire department. Typically, a fire extinguisher consists of a hand-held cylindrical pressure vessel containing an agent which can be discharged to extinguish a fire.

In the next few months I will be adding some more equipment to ensure the safety of my family in the event of a fire in and around the home. Lookout for an updated article in this regard. In the mean time have a look at creating your own evacuation plan if you currently do not have a plan and discuss the plan with your family. It is your responsibility to prevent a tragedy at your home as a result of a fire.

Important: Fire safety refers to precautions that are taken to prevent or reduce the likelihood of a fire that may result in death, injury, or property damage, alert those in a structure to the presence of a fire in the event one occurs, better enable those threatened by a fire to survive, or to reduce the damage caused by a fire. Fire safety measures include those that are planned during the construction of a building or implemented in structures that are already standing, and those that are taught to occupants of the building.

PLEASE be very safety conscious and take the necessary precautions to prevent fires from starting.

- SAWDOS