Last week saw some exciting and technical training sessions happening out in Jonkershoek.

Sunday, 29^th August a skills scenario was held out in the Old Helshoogte Pass municipal forests  and it promised to be one of the more exciting and fun filled sessions of the year. It delivered.

With variety of active members and new recruits from Jonkershoek and Newlands participating in sessions ranging from knots, hand tools, navigation, pumps and the eagerly awaited abseil. Challenges were taken head on with our ICS Patrick Shone, from Cape Nature, co-ordinating each step of the way.

Word had also spread in the local firefighting community about our training session, and we were joined by crews from the Cape Winelands Fire Department as well as welcome visit from Die Burger which saw our very own Sylvery (taking  the abseil one step at a time) on page 6 the next day.  (Die Burger. Monday 30 August. Pg 6. Photo M.Venter)

Once all the members had been put through their paces, we wound down the day with a braai, where everyone had a chance to mingle and share their tale of the abseil and reflect on the points learned with the trainers.  Another successful training session at the Jonkershoek camp!

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It could be said that one thing a VWS member expects least in the middle of winter is a call out to not one, but two fires on a given weekend. When separate fires broke out on both Saturday 14 and Sunday 15 August in the Silvermine area, our members were again reminded why staying ready for a potential fire should not be restricted to the summer months.

Mid-way through the training season and with a few months to go before the November 1st official start of fire season, our active members were forced to re-assemble of their dusty packs and pull out their crumpled flash-hoods for a weekend of unexpected firefighting.

Saturday’s fire was located above the retirement village in the Silvermine Village area, and saw two VWS crews aid with a short period of direct attack followed by a few hours of ‘mop up’, where VWS members assisted contractors with wetting down the area.

Sunday’s fire was located near the waterfall by Silvermine Gate B, and three VWS teams were sent to secure the right flank of the fire, while TMNP (Table Mountain National Parks), contractors and Nature Conservation Corporation secured the left flank. The conditions were difficult and the terrain was steep for the members involved, emphasising the importance of both fitness and teamwork in wildland firefighting.

Our turnout was impressive: Saturday’s fire saw 17 members on the fire line and 2 assisting with logistics, while Sunday’s saw a turnout of 19 members on the line, 4 in logistics and 2 scouting the fire.

Special thanks to all of our members who assisted with the fires, both on the line and behind the scenes in the control room and the kitchen. A decent ‘sample’ of what’s to come, we expect a similar great response during the impending fire season where we hope to have a fresh batch of new recruits to join us on the line.

For more information about joining the Volunteer Wildfire Services in a firefighting or support capacity, please read the details under the ‘How to Help’ section of our website.

Article: Emma Lambert-Porter
Photo: Allan Roy

On Sunday 01 August VWS attended the Cause We Can concert at the Bellville Civic Centre to raise some funds as well as create some awareness for the VWS.

We all had a great time, with fantastic support from active members as well as some very enthusiastic new recruits.

A special thanks to Kim and Sylvery Marrison for setting this up and somehow fitting an entire pancake and Boerie stall into a single Combi as well as the support from Newlands, coming in after their training hike for the Endurance Challenge, to help out.

Apart from our participation, we also donated the surplus pancake batter, hot dog rolls and some boerewors to Helping Angels, a beneficiary of the Cause we can concert.

Carel Kriel
Jonkershoek Marketing and Media Manager

A huge thank you to everyone that helped at the CAUSE WE CAN CHARITY CONCERT.

The objectives for us for the evening were primarily awareness and of course some much needed fundraising. Our whole gazebo set-up looked
amazing and all the members very professional! Certainly all those at the concert know who the VWS is now and hopefully the organisers too!!

Well done to each and every one of you!! It really made me very proud to see the stalls working like clockwork and with cheerful smiles and jokes all round! My thanks go to:

MEMBERS
Carel Kriel
Sylvery Marrison
Shaun Adonis
Peter Wynne
Kate Snoodyk
Anneke de Kock
John Roux
Ruedi Siegenthaler
Emma Lambert-Porter
Elroy Arendse
Gerhard van Niekerk

NEW RECRUITS – a special thanks to them!!
Lauren Shone
Michael Brandt
Tania Idas
Clive Idas
Catherine Engelbrecht
Nicky Bester
Cara Dely
Dave Ogier

And a very, very special thank you goes to my mom, Sylvery, for organising and packing the combi with all the exibition goodies and left me to free to organise the food. She always goes that extra mile! Thanks Ma!

Kim Marrison

It is with great pleasure that we are finally able to officially launch the VWS Endurance Challenge to everyone.  Many of you already know about it and indeed word seems to be spreading, which is fantastic because the more people who know about it the greater our chance of success.

www.VWSEnduranceChallenge.yolasite.com The website will continue to grow as we move closer to the event.   In a nut shell, it is now up to each and every VWS member and enthusiastic supporter to go out and seek sponsorship.  As you’ll see from the “Sponsor Us” page, this is not about the few who are doing the entire hike, this is about ALL VWS members.  So please pass this on to everyone you know so that they can pass it on to everyone that they know and so the story goes…  VWS Vice Chair, Kate Snoodyk will be sending out details after the next VWS Board meeting with regards to a potential competition, but don’t let that hold anyone back – up and at em please!

We’ll soon be sending out a request for more help from everyone else (yes, many of you have already raised your hands on this front and your offers will definitely be taken up).  Further to that, if anyone is interested in organising relay teams to tackle sections of the walk, please start co-ordinating amongst yourselves.    The route is currently being broken up and so sections can be picked.  To this end, and indeed with general fitness in mind, our training hikes are published on the website.  If you feel up to it, please feel free to drop a contact person a short note to let them know that you’ll be joining.  This is a great chance for the VWS to raise awareness of what we do and where we do it – the amazing natural environment that surrounds us all in the Cape.  If anyone has comments, suggestions, offers of help – you name it please do not hesitate to contact any of the contact people.  We believe that we can reach our target of ZAR500,000.00 but we can only do this if everyone chips in….

VWS Newsletter – July 2010

(… as a vuvuzela wails – hopefully not again for a while – in the distance)

Howzit! (I’m trying out headings for each section, for those of you that get bored!):

Greetings members of the Volunteer Wildfire Services, New Recruits, past members, friends and those who just like to know ‘wassup’!  This, your July newsletter, may be a couple of days late, but like everyone else, I’ve been somewhat caught up in the frenetic activity of World Cup (can I say that without the “registered trademark” logo yet?) events, whilst trying to keep regular life going at the same time.  Hope you all had fun while it was on… anyone game for the Olympics?

Winter Training:

We’re well and truly into our winter training season.  Scenario Training at both Newlands and Jonkershoek is proceeding apace, and if you haven’t yet attended a session because you’ve been snuggled up under a blanket and hiding from the cold, I suggest you get out there and get your heart pumping, your muscles moving and your firefighting skills honed for the coming summer ‘Fire Season’.  I for one, have particularly enjoyed participating in the Night Hike Scenarios out of Newlands, heading off in the dark of winter evenings, keeping pace with firefighters old and new, stopping to sip Powerade and munch on JungleBars with the night lights of Cape Town spread out below us.  It’s good exercise, and a keen indication to those of you less fit than you should be as to what to expect in the dark on the fireline.

Active Firefighting Alternatives:

For those of you not wanting to participate in Active Firefighting this coming Fire Season, please ensure that relevant heads of portfolios know of your enthusiasm to participate outside of regular training.  We’ll be proceeding with everything from Control Room training (in conjunction with Newlands Dispatch oversight from Working on Fire this coming season), to Logistics Team establishment and coordination, to Special Projects organisation in the near future.  If you’re unsure of who to speak to, take a squizz at www.VWS.co.za or send me a mail with your query and I’ll redirect it to the relevant person.

VWS Endurance Challenge:

VWS Vice-Chair Kate Snoodyk will be in comms with you in the near future with news and info on our VWS Endurance Challenge which we’ll be walking at the end of September.  Eight of us slightly demented VWS members (myself included) will endeavour to walk an approximately 180km route, with breaks for safety naps, food, and occasional waving at adoring crowds, from Cape Point, via a heap of peaks on the Peninsula above 250m, to Signal Hill, ending at the Newlands Fire Base.  The aim of this ‘stroll’ will be to highlight the activities of the VWS as we approach the summer Fire Season, with sponsorships for those that take part raising funds for the VWS which we intend to spend on improved Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for VWS members.  Kate will inform you of details, including the VWS Endurance Challenge website, and how you can get involved and help us raise funds.

New VWS Station:

The establishment of VWS South Peninsula is proceeding apace, with Ken Findlay heading up developments.  With Philip Prins’ assistance from TMNP, we’re taking significant steps to secure a dispatching location – another VWS Base, if you will! – down south on the Peninsula.  Our long-term aim is to have a secondary focus, other than Newlands, from where VWS members can be efficiently dispatched to fires on the south end of the Peninsula.  The project is still in its early stages, and we’ll have to iron out all the challenges associated with logistics, call-out strategies and the like, but I’m confident that enthusiasm from existing and new members in the south will result in the birth of a well planned VWS Station.  We’re aiming for a broad sweep of community involvement, and Ken has already had meetings with stakeholders including the RedHill Community Forum, landowners, and other role-players working on projects like alien eradication, education, and development.

VWS Branding:

Within the next week, all 3 of our VWS Land Rovers will be ‘firefighting yellow’ – the international standard in wildland firefighting!  They really do make a statement.  Allied with their bright new image, we’ve taken a long, hard look at all aspects of VWS branding and design, with the aim of consolidating what we have and making sure that we present a bold statement to the world.  There are strict guidelines relating to the use of everything from the VWS logo, to the colours we display, to the wording on the sides of vehicles.  If you are involved in any brand-related activities, make sure you clear matters with Media & Marketing Director Ryan Heydenrych before you hit the “print” button!

VWS Motto:

Allied to this, we’ve decided that all members should get involved in helping us to come up with a punchier motto.  While we will always remain “Committed to Integrated Wildfire Management”, we don’t want to bore people in traffic who have to read what we’re about on the side of our Landies!  When we send emails, we want you to read to the very end, because the motto gets your juices flowing!  Ryan will be sending you a mail in the very near future, calling for responsible, well-conceived, relevant, punchy ideas for the VWS motto.

VWS Finances:

Financially, the VWS is in a decent position at present.  We have submitted formal application to BAT SA for a further year’s funding, and await feedback in that regard.  VWS Financial Director Doug Hardy is in the final stages of tying up our end-Feb 2010 financial audit with Earnst & Young.  We pride ourselves on ensuring that all financial matters are attended to with the utmost transparency and honesty; members are always welcome to contact Doug with queries relating to financial oversight.

The recent donation from SA Litho was discussed in detail at our most recent VWS Board meeting, and VWS Directors decided to task a portion of the money to acquiring a 4×4-capable skid vehicle (“bakkie-sakkie” for those of you who haven’t been keeping up with terminology!) for VWS use.  We’re currently shopping around for a good condition 4×4 Land Rover bakkie or similar, soon to join the yellow fleet.  If you know of any good buys, feel free to contact VWS Logistics Director Charles Phillips with your suggestions.

VWS Commitment & Responsibility:

I’m glad to see so many members – new and old – enjoying themselves at our activities.  Part of our motivation as volunteers must be self-fulfilment, because only by enjoying what we do can we do it well.  I, for one, really dig climbing up ropes at Scenario Training sessions, or driving around in our Landies and feeling a sense of pride when people turn their heads to see who we are, or smiling at strangers and giving them a quick briefing on who we are and why we’re traipsing around in the dark, as we hike past them in Newlands Forest on our night training hikes.

But being a member of the VWS also comes with a degree of responsibility and commitment.  When you’re asked to RSVP to a training event, stick to your word and pitch up if you’ve said you will.  When you use VWS equipment, use it as if it belongs to you and you spent your own precious money on it – take care of all we have.  When issues come up for discussion in our ranks, raise points for their constructive value, helping to improve what we do and how we do it, and don’t just moan about rumours and misgivings that have little or no credibility.

By keeping a positive outlook on what we do in the Volunteer Wildfire Services, you’ll be helping yourself and your fellow members to enjoy what we do even more.  I am extremely proud to be a member of the VWS; let’s get that pride burning bright amongst our ranks!

Warm winter wishes,

sTiv

VWS Chairman

e: chairman@capefires.com

web: www.VWS.co.za

The past Saturday saw the first 4×4 fun outing to the Melkbos 4×4 centre. The idea is for VWS drivers to get some experience driving our Landies in off-road conditions.

We started the day meeting at Newlands, where we drove through in convoy arriving 30min later. After signing in and a quick chat on what to expect, we hit the trail called Bakgat. The course is a mass of twisting sand tracks, a large Play Area followed by more sand track which eventually leads you back to the main entrance. The course is well maintained and does no damage to vehicles. The first obstacle was a real muddy axle bender that required the right line to be taken and difflock engaged – once the stuck Landy had been pulled out. Once all vehicles had successfully negotiated the obstacle we continued on to the Play Area. The Play Area is a large piece of ground with numerous obstacles, mounds, steep inclines, declines and soft sand.

With several people per vehicle and some photographers on foot, everybody got a chance to drive the course and learn what a 4×4 vehicle is capable of.

This area is a great place to safely learn what the vehicles are capably of while having a great time.Everyone enjoyed themselves immensely and we look forward to returning to this great venue.

By Matthew Ferguson
Photo taken by John Murray