Volunteer Wildfire Services - Intrepid Traveler

Ghostwriter for an article about the Volunteer Wildfire Services organization in South Africa's Western Cape Province.

We Salute Our Brave Firefighting Heroes

It’s hot. You can’t see. You can’t breathe. You have no idea if the next step you take will send you hurtling down a ravine or onto safe ground. And the only thing pushing you on is the thought of getting yourself and others out of this inferno alive. Welcome to a day in the life of the people who make up the Volunteer Wildfire Services. And if you live in the Cape Peninsula, you’ve certainly seen these people in action quite a bit over the last few weeks, as they’ve fought blaze after blaze throughout the Western Cape. 

For the volunteer firefighters there is no paycheck at the end of a long night fighting a blaze. There is just the satisfaction gained from a need fulfilled and a job well done. And even though the work is backbreaking, cough-inducing and exhausting, people still volunteer each year to do the work and keep us, our loved ones, our possessions, and our region’s beautiful natural treasures out of harm’s way.

The Cape Peninsula – with its hot, dry, windy summers – is an area heavily prone to wildfires. Whether set on purpose by arsonists or by accident via a runaway ember from an innocent braai, fire is a real threat to the Cape Peninsula. Fynbos is highly susceptible to even the slightest spark, and with such easily kindled veld at the doorstep of a major city, CapeNature and Table Mountain National Park officials have their hands full when fire season rolls around each year. This is why I joined a small group of dedicated, passionate and determined people to co-found the Volunteer Wildfire Services and why I am still actively involved in helping out whenever I can (including doing some firefighting this past week).

YOU CAN GET INVOLVED AND RAISE FUNDS FOR US WITHOUT COSTING YOU A CENT

You can contribute to VWS by picking up a FREE MySchool MyVillage MyPlanet card and selecting them as one of your beneficiaries. If you don’t have a free MySchool MyVillage MyPlanet card yet, simply apply for your free card now and select Volunteer Wildfire Services. As soon as you start swiping your card, they will start receiving funds.

The VWS is an entirely volunteer-run organisation that assists both CapeNature and Table Mountain National Park in combating (both proactively and reactively) the fires that inevitably crop up each year in the region. Today the VWS has grown to approximately 180 members that make up three different stations – Newlands, Jonkershoek and South Peninsula. And as I currently listen to choppers buzzing above and sirens wailing below as teams fervently rush to extinguish the flames engulfing hectare after hectare of land, I am exceptionally grateful for the men and women who volunteer to be a part of this organization, keeping our homes, livelihoods and environment intact. Every time we picnic, hike, ride and enjoy the natural beauty that surrounds us here in the Western Cape, we have people like the volunteer firefighters to thank. 

Patrick Ryan, VWS Vice Chair and Marketing Director, had this to say about the people who make up this incredible group: "You would think it takes an extra ordinary person to leave their work, to leave their family dinner or to climb out of bed in the middle of the night to don PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) and chase a raging wildfire up a mountainside to protect our natural heritage and our properties, but this is what the volunteers of the VWS choose to do. Despite the extra ordinary conditions, the heat, the flames and the thick choking smoke, we are actually ordinary people, just like you, but we have just made a choice to be part of the incredible organisation called the Volunteer Wildfire Services, known as the VWS. You can too."

Each year, VWS hosts a Fire & Fynbos Awareness Day, which raises funds to help cover the organisation’s running costs and training. This year’s event takes place on April 19th at the Lievland Wine Estate near Stellenbosch. For tickets and more information, go to www.quicket.co.za

GET INVOLVED: RAISE FUNDS FOR US WITHOUT COSTING YOU A CENT

You can also contribute to VWS by picking up a MySchool MyVillage MyPlanet card and selecting them as one of your beneficiaries. If you don’t have a free MySchool MyVillage MyPlanet card yet, simply apply for your free card now and select Volunteer Wildfire Services. As soon as you start swiping your card, they will start receiving funds.

If you already have a MySchool card, but would like to change your beneficiary or add Volunteer Wildfire Services, simply update your profile online contact their Client Service Centre on 0860 100 445 or email on cs@myschool.co.za.

And for those of you willing to put in the extra work, VWS can always use more volunteers. In this season alone volunteer firefighters have put in over 5000 hours. Given the fires currently raging in the Cape, that number will likely double very soon. Now is the perfect time to get involved, as recruitment starts in March. Check out their website for more information: Error! Hyperlink reference not valid.

As for ways you can prevent fires, always be vigilant of your actions. It’s so easy to start a fire by mistake, so we must be extra careful wherever fire is concerned. If you smoke, always make sure your cigarette is out completely before you throw it away (and please, don’t throw it on the ground – take pride in keeping your country beautiful!). Always make sure any braai fires are completely extinguished before you leave them. Only light fires in fire-designated areas. And please report any sign of fire to the authorities immediately.

Disasters, whether natural or man-made, have a way of bringing people together and forcing us to see past our differences. This past week, the outpouring of community involvement, along with the convergence of various organisations from around the country all working as a team, serve as brilliant reminders that when we work together to ‘Do One Thing,’ we can accomplish incredible feats. I would like to extend a personal thank you to all the people who’ve toiled so tirelessly as part of VWS, and to those who assisted them in their work. The job doesn’t end when the fires go out, so I hope we all continue to work together in perpetuity to #DOT to safeguard our beautiful home, South Africa.