HESSEQUA NEWS - A firebreak is a gap in vegetation or other combustible material that acts as a barrier to slow or stop the progress of a bush fire or wildfire.
It is compulsory, by law, to have firebreaks.
It is also one of the one of the Working on Fire "integrated fire management" tools.
The purpose of a firebreak is to provide an area of reduced fuel load which will reduce the intensity of a fire and therefore allow for more effective combating.
It also serves as a line from which a back burn can be started.
Although the firebreaks cannot completely protect farms against large veld fires, they play an important role in controlling and containing smaller fires on the farm, as they also provide access in densely vegetated areas and are compulsory by law.
There are different ways of creating firebreaks, including hoeing, chemical spraying, slashing and burning.
As soon as the summer fire season is finished in the Western Cape, Working on Fire (WoF) assists landowners, such as farmers and municipalities, with the making of these firebreaks.
WoF firefighters go through intensive training on integrated fire management, which includes constructing firebreaks.
Since the end of the fire season, teams have been making the firebreaks in preparation for the next summer fire season.
The width of firebreaks are from 10m to 20m, depending on the area. This is usually determined by a local municipality, fire brigade or fire protection association of that particular area.
'We bring you the latest Garden Route, Hessequa, Karoo news'
