POLOKWANE – Working on Fire (WoF) Limpopo have launched a fire awareness campaign in collaboration with community members in Polokwane.
The campaign aims to educate and build awareness about the WoF programme, the dangers of fires and its behaviour, among others.
The launch of the campaign began with a series of engaging activities designed to inform the community about the organisation and the potential impact of fires.
WoF spokesperson Ofentse Letswalo said it will run through interactive workshops and training sessions in which the community will be empowered with valuable knowledge to enhance their preparedness and resilience.
“We want the community to be able to develop escape routes and designated safety zones to bolster their ability to respond effectively to fire incidents. We also gave informative billboards containing fire safety messages to schools and tribal authorities. These billboards will serve as constant reminders and reinforce fire safety practices,” he said.
Letswalo added that they are happy with the progress made to suppress wildfires that have engulfed various farms in the Capricorn District.
“Firefighters stationed at 27 bases in the province have been deployed to 74 wildfires with over 938 000ha of vegetation lost. “The teams stationed at the Capricorn District Municipality, Polokwane, Molemole, Lepelle-Nkumpi, and Blouberg teams responded to 30 wildfires.”
He added that causes of the fires are still unknown and with the training the firefighters received and their dedication to saving lives and protecting the environment, they have successfully contained the fires without any injuries.
“Our firefighters always conquer the challenges they come across. These include harsh winds that change the direction and increase the speed of the fires now and then. WoF Limpopo requests communities to avoid unattended fires as they will likely lose control due to the rich fuel load influenced by heavy rainfalls in the province,” he concluded.
