Agriculture
Working on Fire ready for the fire season─── ELSABÉ RICHARD 05:00 Mon, 30 May 2022
The fire season is upon us and the public has been urged to be vigilant, to not start fires in an open field and to put the necessary precautionary measures in place.
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Antoinette Jini, the Director-General of Working on Fire (WoF) in the Free State, says the organisation offers fire safety workshops, amongst other services, to communities in the province in order to educate people on the dangers of fires and how to prevent them.
She explains that WoF currently employs about 5 000 men and women and has about 200 bases across South Africa.
ALSO READ: Agri podcast: Eastern Free State faces active fire season
WoF is actively involved in communities, including rural farming communities and schools. The organisation also does integrated fire management and manages fire breaks around communities.
The impact of veld fires
Jini emphasises that veld fires usually have a devastating impact on the agricultural and tourism sectors. OFM News has previously reported that Johan Breytenbach from the Free State Umbrella Fire Protection Association (FSUFPA) had indicated that veld fires have increased considerably these past three years and that it has a negative economic impact on those affected.
Adding to that, Michael Nethavhani, from the South African Weather Service, warned farmers in the Eastern Free State of the possibility of another active fire season this year.
ALSO READ: Runaway NC veldfire elicits pleas for help
The warning came as the Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development held an awareness campaign on wildfires and drought in Qwaqwa.
Veld fires caused havoc in central South Africa last year when thousands of hectares of veld were destroyed.
Fire awareness day
Fire management associations such as WoF and FSUFPA had recently hosted a fire awareness day in collaboration with the provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, amongst other stakeholders.
The event highlighted the importance of putting precautionary measures in place prior to the fire season in order to prevent fires from spreading. They also shed light on the importance of landowners to adhere to rules and regulations set out to protect themselves and their neighbours.
