HESSEQUA NEWS - During the past summers’ wildfire season, the Southern Cape Fire Protection Association (SCFPA) was involved with many wildfires.

SCFPA either supplied firefighting resources to members and assisted members and partners with the coordination and management of firefighting resources.

Looking back there are some aspects SCFPA would like to highlight.

According to SCFPA, there is still much that needs to be done to reduce the wildfire risk in and around communities. The message is clear they must focus all their efforts on implementing preventative measures and also ensure their members/landowners comply with the National Veld and Forest Fire Act.

They also mention that they are concerned about the lack of wild fire debriefs in the region.

As their newsletter state: “We were involved with one of the most complex wildfires in South Africa and up to date no operational debrief was done. All the lessons learned will get lost over time. The wildland-urban Interface is also a huge challenge and all stakeholders should focus on how to deal with this issue.”

Many volunteer groups are being formed which also bring about its own challenges with regards to safety issues and coordination during wild?re suppression operations.

The SCFPA would like to thank all their partners, WoF, WCPDM, Cape Nature, SANParks, District and Local Municipalities for their ongoing support and assistance.

Other partners involved include Cape Peninsula FPA, Provincial Disaster Management Centre, South African National Parks – Table Mountain National Park, Greater Cederberg FPA and the Greater Overberg FPA.

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