BETTY’S BAY FIRE & RESCUE VOLUNTEERS
The time has come once again for the team to re-do their fitness assessments with the Overstrand Municipality. This assessment is done every six months, and each time every member of the team must improve on their results from the previous evaluation.
This assessment consists of various physical fire-fighting techniques and actions, including the throwing out of large hoses and the dragging of heavy charged (full of water) hoses for a distance, to name just a few. Also included in the assessment is a timed 2.4 km run, along with push ups and sit ups. The team is working hard at remaining fit and strong in order to continue excelling at these assessments and giving their best to the community.
FIRE & RESCUE: In addition to a few MVA’s through January, the team responded to a house fire on the 18 th and, along with the speedy response of the Pringle Bay Volunteers and Overstrand Municipality (OM) Kleinmond Fire & Rescue team, were able to get the fire under control quickly, saving the house and limiting the damage to the structure.
While we greatly appreciate every report from the public and their efforts to keep us informed, with this incident in mind we would like to urge the community to make sure of an accurate location and/or address first, whenever possible, before reporting smoke or a fire as the team was initially directed to the incorrect location for this fire, causing them to lose precious time.
UNDERSTANDING THE BASIC COMPONENTS OF FIRE
Do you understand the basic principles of how a fire behaves?
WHAT IS A FIRE TRIANGLE? – The Fire Triangle is a simple way of understanding the components of fire. Each side of the triangle represents one of three components needed to have a fire – oxygen, fuel and heat. Fire is a chemical reaction and without one of these components, fire cannot exist or be sustained.
Oxygen: The air that surrounds us contains approximately 21% oxygen. Air supporting a fire must have at least 16% oxygen content to burn.
Fuel: Fuel is considered any material capable of burning and is characterized by its moisture content, size, shape, quantity and the arrangement in which it is spread over the landscape. Any kind of combustible material is considered a fuel – grass, shrubs, trees, houses, propane tanks, wood piles, decks etc
Heat: A heat source is responsible for the initial ignition of fire, and heat is also needed to maintain the fire and permit it to spread. Heat allows fire to spread by removing the moisture from nearby fuel, warming surrounding air and preheating the fuel in its path. What are examples of heat sources? Lightning, cigarettes, powerlines, catalytic converters, small engine sparks, matches, magnifying glass.
A fire occurs when all three of these components react together. A fire can be put out, prevented or the impacts reduced by removing, reducing or separating these elements.
THANK YOU!
We would like to express our heartfelt gratitude to Raymond and Lien Smith who very generously donated a portable pump to the Betty’s Bay Fire & Rescue Volunteers.
This incredible pump enables us to use any nearby water source (a nearby vlei or swimming pool) to pump water with pressure into our fire hoses, providing additional support to our current skid unit (bakkie), and a fantastic alternative to the tank of water which requires refilling from a hydrant fairly regularly while fighting a fire.
ARE YOU FIREWISE?
Follow this link to download the Fire Wise Booklet which is full of great tips and important information : https://bettysbayratepayers.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/WCG-Wild-Fire-Ready-Booklet-13082020-.pdf
Report fire and emergencies immediately. Always phone – no WhatsApp messages AND no WhatsApp calls
YOUR IMPORTANT NUMBERS – load them into your phone NOW!
028 312 2400 ALL Fire & Emergency – yes you can use this number to report a fire, an accident, or ANY emergency.
028 313 8980 Fire reporting
072 616 8418 Betty’s Bay Fire Volunteers – NO WhatsApp (calls or messages) ONLY standard calls
SUPPORT THE VOLUNTEERS: If you would like to join our team or support us in any way, please contact Jorika on 072 616 8418. Should you wish to contribute funds or donations towards a fire & rescue emergency response vehicle you can deposit into the following bank account:
Bank details:
- Name: Betty’s Bay Ratepayers Association
- Bank: ABSA
- Bank: Hermanus
- Account: 4066 616 439
- Reference: FIRE +Your surname
N.B Please clearly mark the reference FIRE as BBRA are custodians for several organizations in Betty’s Bay and they need to allocate the funds accordingly.
FOLLOW US on FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php id=100064379211431
Thank you for your ongoing support and donations. Until our next update, enjoy the sunshine and stay Fire Wise!
Jorika Rabie