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

The 5th running of this event was held in brilliant sunshine on Sunday 2 May 2010 The 25km race started at 07h15 with the traditional ‘siren’ from a VWS fire truck, and the course went along the rather steep jeep tracks on the face of lower Table Mountain from the Kloof Nek car park across to Rhodes Memorial, Mt Pleasant and then looped back to the start/finish. VWS volunteers provided refreshment tables en route which included Coke, Energade, water, boiled potatoes, jelly babies and Bar-Ones to ensure all runners made it back to the finish! First aid was available (thank you to Moira) and two ER24 ambulances were on stand-by at the finish.

The winner of the 25km mens race was Dion Middelkoop with a record time of 1h48m01s! Second was Ben Brindle in 1h50m11s. The ladies 25km race was won by Candice Davison in 2h15m – also record time for the ladies! Second in the ladies catagory was Kutlwano Ramaboa with 2h19m.

The 10km challenge which went 5km along the same jeep track (as the 25km), and then split up the mountain to the right and finished past the along Tafelberg Rd past the lower CableWay Station. The winner was Dreeick Baard with 38m57s in the men’s race, with Dominic Wills second with 39m19s. The ladies 10km was closely contested and narrowly won by Emma Gray with 50m27s, only 16 seconds ahead of Giulia Criscuolo in second with 50m43s.

Well done not only to the winners but to all of you – as you were ALL winners on the day – and your entry fees and donations will certainly go a long way towards assisting the VWS purchase uniforms and kit for our next fire fighting season commencing in November.
Well done also to the ten VWS volunteers who also ran in both the 25km and 10km races – some even carried their full fire-fighting kit! You did us proud!

Thanks to the numerous sponsors including Spar, Cape Storm, Canon, ER24, Pastis Restaurant, Greens Restaurant, Wimpy, Atlantic Athletic Club, Velocity Sports and Micro Tens Medical. Well done to volunteers Mark, Murray and Kent also for raising over R1200 in valuable funding!

Finally, THANK YOU to all those runners who participated – and we hope to see you all again at next year’s event on Worker’s Day, Sunday 1 May 2011? No excuses!

Race Results:
Click Here for 10km and 25km race results

Race Photos:
10km – Gallery
25km – Gallery

Thank you to John Murray, http://www.johnunplugged.co.za, for taking the photos. 

Article by Charles Phillips
Photo Courtesy of John Murray

Entries are Open

Fire Call, but of a different kind…

This past Saturday, 27^th February 2010, the Volunteer Wildfire Services had their second social gathering of the year. There was a braai at the base for all active members to attend.

The warm summers evening began with socialising and the fire was lit. The covered seating area around the braai area was converted in to a temporary stage. A much anticipated band, made up of VWS members, were to perform a little later in the evening.

Everyone who attended the braai was entered into a lucky draw. This really added to the evening and a big thank you to the sponsors of these prizes:

Rob Peters from Newlands Cricket Stadium
Donated SA flags, cricket tickets and a signed cricket bat.

Ronald James from Mouse House IT
Donated 2x wireless Microsoft Mice.

Frances Lombard from Frontosa IT
Donated 1x very cool gaming mouse.

Adele Esterhuyse (a VWS member)
Donated 2x 6 Obikwa wines and a R200 Cape Union Mart Voucher.

Marcel Boast (a VWS member)
Donated a brand new battle jacket.

Cheryl Sales on behalf of Liquor Boutique in Gardens Centre.
Donated 1x Bottle of Amarula.

After the prizes were handed out the band kicked into gear. John on drums, Yuri on bass, Catherine on keyboard and Richard on guitar and vocals. The band really added a nice atmosphere to the braai, it was a great performance that was thoroughly enjoyed.

Murray ‘Braai Master’ Paulsen kindly took control of the flames PPE and all. Thanks to Murray for the hard hours securing the braai line.

Later on in the evening Richard very kindly treated us to another great set. After much encouragement Mike “human drum set” Merrett treated us to some beat box beats. VWS members are a truly talented bunch…

Thanks to Nick and Tracy for planning the evening. It’s was a great social event and we all look forward to the next one.

By Ryan Heydenrych
Photo Coutesy of John Murray

The Volunteer Wildfire Services (VWS) formed part of the emergency services at this years Community Chest Carnival at Maynardville. The VWS sent a team on Friday 26^th February and a team on Saturday 27^th February.

The primary role for being at the event was fire suppression, basic first aid and general assistance to members of the public. Fortunately both shifts went without incident.

Apart from fighting wildfires, the VWS often assist at events as an added service to the community. A big thank you to all the VWS volunteers for their assistance.

By Ryan Heydenrych
Photo by Bob Edmunds

On Saturday 21 November the Volunteer Wildfire Services celebrated 10 years of fighting fires and saving lives with their 10 Year Anniversary Open Day 2009. Over 1,500 visitors attended making this event the largest and most well received open day in the history of the VWS.

Held at VWS Newlands, the highlight of the day was the Simulated Fire Fighting demonstration that included a Russian-built Kamov helicopter, 5 fire engines and over 50 fire fighters. The demonstrations, coordinated by experienced VWS crew leaders Dennis Pitman, Hilton Carstens and Mike Scott, culminated in the helicopter dropping 4,000 litres of water on the new recruit volunteers who took part in the demonstration as part of their induction into the VWS.

Visitors were treated to fire engine rides, abseiling, competitions, games and challenges, and excellent food and drinks. Other highlights of the day included the spider and snake shows, as well as displays by Cape Town Fire & Emergency Services, the TMNP Honorary Rangers, Emergency Medical Training, Nature Conservation and the MTN ScienCentre.

Philip Prins, Table Mountain National Park Fire & Technical Services Manager, thanked the volunteers for their dedicated contribution to the Park over the past 10 years.

The VWS depend entirely on funding from generous contributions by the public and corporates. On standby 365 days of the year, their fire fighters are hard at work training and preparing for all fire-related disasters. “It costs anything between R50,000 – R100,000 per hour to fight runaway fires,” according to VWS director of marketing and communications Adrian Marnewick. “We depend heavily on the public and their kind support they have shown us over the years.”

The VWS Open Day 2009 Committee would like to extend a very heartfelt thanks to all the VWS members who took part, and all the visitors that attended Open Day 2009.

To make a contribution to the VWS, visit the Donations & Sponsorship page here.