MOKOPANE – Abel Duna the team leader for Mokopane base situated in the Mokopane Breeding centre, says his team is doing a great job and yes they sometimes put there lives on the line but they believe that it is a calling and not just a work to be done.
He says that they not only do fire fighting, but where there’s a need in the community they will offer their help. The team has been hard at work since the beginning of the year preparing for the 2017 winter fire season which will be starting early June.
Matema Gwangwa, Provincial Communication Officer, told Bosveld that WoF is a initiative of the Department of Environmental Affairs to help fight veld and forest fires and working closely with fire authorities to reduce fire risks.
As part of the preparations WoF Limpopo will also host the annual Yellow Card Training Camp in the province. This camp is aimed to ensure that all fighters are fit, ready, and are able and active on their duty during this upcoming fire season.
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The WoF fighters are professionally trained and will put everything in to suppress veld and forest fires and they are deployed throughout the province to reduce the personal and economic harm caused by unwanted wildfires and also to implement measures to prevent such fires from occurring.
There are just over 660 fire fighters stationed at 26 bases throughout Limpopo that will be ready for the start of the winter season which could last up to the end of November.
“As a result of the current heavy rains throughout the country we expect a very difficult winter fire season but we firmly believe that through out partnerships with provincial disaster management centre’s, fire protection associations, San Parks, various private and public landowners and local municipalities we will be able to respond quickly in rendering a highly skilled suppression service which is unparalleled anywhere in the country,” Duna concluded.
redaksie.bosvelder@nmgroup.co.za