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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An enthusiastic group of VWS members set out to participate in the annual Blisters for Bread Charity Walk this past Sunday 29^th August. This incredibly popular walk has become part of the VWS event calendar for its worthwhile cause and also to help raise the profile of the Volunteer Wildfire Services (VWS).

We decided to opt for the gentler and more sociable 10km walk this year as opposed to the 20km we did the previous year. Forming part of the 14 000 strong crowd, we set out in high spirits wearing our full kit and carrying hand tools. The hand tools really made us stand out from the crowd and although awkward to carry, worth the effort.

From the start of the walk we were identified by the MC as ‘an interesting group of characters’, and we even had some unofficial paparazzi attention from members of the public during the walk.  At the end of the walk our VWS Marketing & Media Director Ryan Heydenrych did a short interview with the MC, which was a perfect end to our event.

All in all it was a fun way to spend a Sunday morning and some of us definitely earned our blisters.

The event created great exposure for the VWS. Thanks to the following members for walking in the 10km team:

Karin Arbuthnot
Peter Hagen
Tracey Wild
Nick Sales
Ryan Heydenrych
Tania Morkel
Gerhard van Niekerk
Murray Paulsen
Fed Zanolin
Mark Randall
Kate Tindall

…and to Ruedi Siegenthaler for doing the 20km in full kit.

Thanks to GrandWest Corporate Social Investment and Peninsula Beverages for sponsoring the Blisters for Bread and making it possible to be enjoyed by all.

Article: Tracey Wild
Photography: Nick Sales

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

How many new recruits does it take to prime a pump? Experience shows that this number is usually directly proportional to the number of scenarios attended by each, which is why last Saturday’s scenario at Newlands Fire Base saw a good turn-out of new recruits and active members. Gathered for the first official training scenario of the VWS 2010 season for the Newlands station, members were divided into small teams and were required to complete a 45 minute fitness walk before engaging in team-based skills training sessions. Abseiling, knots, GPS navigation, radio comms, pumps and hoses were all covered in the course of the morning.

Saturday’s session was followed by a night hike scenario on Wednesday 9 June. Members were divided into 6 crews and carried hand tools and packs for the duration of the three hour hike. Not for sissies, the hike covered a 10.7km route from Newlands Fire Base up towards the block house and back around towards the forest again.

With upcoming skills refreshers, evaluations, night hikes and scenarios planned for the five months over winter, VWS Newlands members certainly have their work cut out for them. Good luck for the training season. Special thanks to those who could assist with the session training which went off without hitch.

By Emma Lambert-Porter