With all the fitness assessments successfully completed and passed, the team turned back to focusing on the current fire season.
Over the past few weeks, the Overstrand and Overberg regions have been plagued by multiple wildfires, as can be expected at this time of year. During this time, various members of the Betty’s Bay team have spent many long days and nights fighting fires alongside the municipal teams in Gansbaai, Karwyderskraal and Highlands Pass. For a number of the crew, this has been their first experience of working with large and extremely hot wildfires and it has been an invaluable experience for them.
FIRE & RESCUE: Thankfully, our roads have been quiet over the past month, with only a minor MVA to attend to and no serious injuries. Betty’s Bay itself has not experienced any fires.
Are you familiar with the types of fire extinguishers and their uses? There are five different fire extinguishers, which are:
- Water, water mist or water sprayfire extinguishers
- Foamfire extinguishers
- Dry Powder– standard or specialist fire extinguishers
- Carbon Dioxide(CO2) fire extinguishers
- Wet Chemicalfire extinguishers
The different classes of fire extinguisher rating are listed below together with the some of the most suitable types of fire extinguisher for use on each class of fire:
Class A – Suitable for paper, wood & textiles.
Type of fire extinguisher – Water, Foam, Dry Powder, Wet Chemical
Class B – Suitable for flammable liquids.
Type of fire extinguisher – Foam, Dry Powder, Carbon Dioxide (CO2)
Class C – Suitable for flammable gases.
Type of fire extinguisher – Dry Powder
Class F – Suitable for cooking oil and fat.
Type of fire extinguisher – Wet Chemical
Electrical Risk – Suitable for electrical equipment.
Type of fire extinguisher – Dry Powder, Carbon Dioxide (CO2)
Fire extinguisher types chart
This chart visualises the fire extinguisher types used in the UK and the types of fire for which they are suitable, as well as their colour codes.
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