Fire and Rescue International Newsletter

Toughest Firefighter Alive South Africa: Support the teams in Mossel Bay!

This week will see firefighting teams from across South Africa taking part in the Toughest Firefighter Alive South Africa Challenge 2024.

The TFA-SA 2024 will see more than 300 firefighters partaking to see who is the toughest male and female!

With an extra special participant from Hamburg Fire Department in Germany as a guest at this year’s event, Jens Ludeke brings an international flair to the TFA-SA.

The TFA-SA will also include the Mini TFA 2024 for kids as well as the TFA-Dräger Young Adults Challenge to not only entertain the youngsters and young adults but also provide some insight into the fire and rescue challenges and “conditions”.

Hosted by Mossel Bay, the TFA-SA will also showcase fire and rescue equipment, tools and gear with Industrial Fire and Hazard Control, Southey Contracting and Survival Technology as main sponsors. Exhibits will include the Western Cape Government Disaster Management and Fire/Rescue Services, Metro Rescue, Dräger Fire, Vanguard Fire and Safety, Uhambo Safety Wear and Equipment, Charnaud and ETS with Fire and Rescue International as media partner.

There will also be some demonstrations including a drone demonstration from Metro Rescue.

Founders and organisers of the TFA-SA, the NPO, Firefighters for Excellence Foundation, has the following objectives: TFA-SA has the following objectives:
• To promote a spirit of excellence in firefighters and produce firefighters who are able compete competitively on the international stage
• To equip fire fighters to obtain skills that enables them to perform to the peak of their abilities, to continue to push the boundaries in delivering a better, high quality service
• To boost fire fighters’ morale whilst promote the profession through media coverage and
• Promoting relationship building with previously disadvantaged communities.

Headed up by Mark Smith, the TFA-SA highlights the importance of fitness, leadership, mentorship, perseverance and camaraderie.

See you in Mossel Bay at the De Bakke Santos Beach from 26 to 28 September 2024!

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Quote of the week
“It is not the critic who counts: not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes up short again and again, because there is no effort without error or shortcoming, but who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, who spends himself in a worthy cause; who, at the best, knows, in the end, the triumph of high achievement, and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who knew neither victory nor defeat.” ~ Theodore Roosevelt, Speech at the Sorbonne, Paris, 23 April 1910

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Lee Raath-Brownie
Managing Director
Cell: 082 371 0190

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The Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mélanie Joly, extended her country’s gratitude towards the South African firefighters from Working on Fire, recognising their invaluable assistance in combating wildfires across Canada since 2015. The acknowledgment took place at a reception held at the Canadian High Commissioner’s residence, Wednesday, 21 August 2024. This visit to South Africa formed part of her trip to Africa where she already met with government officials in the Ivory Coast and in Pretoria and Johannesburg, South Africa, including South Africa’s Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Ronald Lamola.

A towering flame gradually subsided Tuesday, morning, 17 September 2024, in the aftermath of a massive pipeline explosion after a vehicle drove through a fence and struck an above-ground valve, officials said. Deer Park officials said police and local FBI agents initiated investigations and found no preliminary reports that would suggest a coordinated or “terrorist” attack and that “this appears to be an isolated incident.” The investigation included efforts to learn more about the driver of a vehicle that was incinerated by the pipeline explosion as flames scorched the ground across a wide radius, severed adjacent power transmission lines and ignited homes at a distance. Police did not provide any information about the person’s condition.

Firefighters are trained to first and foremost to be fearless when responding to the call of duty. But behind the commitment of being the first responders to often harrowing scenes, are big hearts filled with caring and compassion. Several members of Mossel Bay Fire, Rescue and Disaster Management recently participated in a special drive by for former Fire Chief of Mossel Bay, William Davey. Davey, who is fighting a battle against cancer, was the first officially appointed fire chief of Mossel Bay. He was appointed in 1983 and served the Mossel Bay Municipality and its residents for 14 years. From his sickbed, Davey expressed the sincere wish to see a fire engine again and his family arranged the special drive by with Mossel Bay Fire, Rescue and Disaster Management.

On Friday, 20 September 2024, Fire and Rescue NSW crews responded to reports of a factory fire on Kaleski Street at Moorebank. Crews arrived to find a row of factory units well alight, with heavy fire spreading rapidly through the entire complex. More than 100 firefighters and 26 trucks were on scene. On arrival, crews were confronted with large volumes of smoke coming from the property and immediately set about tackling the fire with multiple lines of hose. Two aerial platforms were also being used to douse the flames from above.

The City of Tshwane Emergency Services Department responded to a multi-storey building fire incident at the Department of Correctional Services head office in Dr WF Nkomo Street in Pretoria on the evening of Sunday, 8 September 2024. Lindsay Mnguni, acting public information and media liaison officer at the City of Tshwane Emergency Services, said, “The building fire was reported to the City of Tshwane Emergency Call Centre at about 18h41. The centre immediately dispatched multiple firefighting resources from Central Fire Station, Innesdale Fire Station, Hatfield Fire Station and Philip Nel Park Fire Station to the scene.”

A fiery crash involving a lithium battery truck and its aftermath shut down part of US Highway 95 on Tuesday, 17 September 2024, the latest in a series of incidents involving lithium batteries that have caused fires and chaos for drivers. Two semi-trucks headed in opposite directions sideswiped just after midnight at Mile Marker 13 in Nye County, between state Route 160 and Mercury, according to the Nevada Highway Patrol. One truck was carrying wood and the other was hauling 31 000 pounds of lithium batteries, which caught fire almost immediately, according to police and Scott Lewis, the Pahrump fire chief and Nye County director of emergency management.

Premier Oscar Mabuyane and MEC Capa have handed over a fleet of 15 emergency rescue vehicles, 15 mobile clinics and nine ambulances at Keiskammahoek SS Gida Hospital. This initiative underscores our government’s dedication to bringing essential health services closer to the people, particularly in rural areas. Premier Mabuyane, “This is about providing hope, health, and a promise of a better future.”

Source: Eastern Cape Provincial Government

A police officer died in a fire incident on Sunday morning, 22 September 2024, at the police barracks, where members of the K9 unit are housed near the Windhoek Correctional Facility. According to Chief Inspector Elifas Kuwinga of NamPol’s Public Relations Unit, the fire occurred between eleven and midnight. It is reported that the fire broke out in one of the rooms while the occupants were outside. It then spread to other rooms, causing the entire seven rooms to burn to ashes. Windhoek Fire Department responded swiftly to the structural fire, which was spreading rapidly. They extinguished the fire but sadly a burnt person was discovered burnt beyond recognition.

A new wing in the Burns Unit at the Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital (CHBAH – Bara) officially opened on 26 August 2024, thanks to a R100 million donation from the Roy McAlpine Charitable Foundation and in partnership with Wits University and the Gauteng Department of Health. Bara is a Wits University teaching hospital. Professor Zeblon Vilakazi, Wits vice-chancellor and principal, said, “I must express my deepest gratitude to Roy McAlpine and the Roy McAlpine Charitable Foundation. Your vision and commitment to improving healthcare in South Africa has allowed this unit to become a reality and the extraordinary and generous contribution of R70 million that you have made is testament to that.”

Storm Boris has left a trail of destruction in Central and Eastern Europe, claiming at least 19 lives with dozens more missing. The 2024 Central European floods are an ongoing series of floods caused by a record heavy rainfall generated by Storm Boris, an extremely humid Genoa low. The flooding began in Austria and Czechia, then spread to Poland, Romania and Slovakia, and then onwards to Germany, Hungary and Italy. As of 20 September 2024, 26 fatalities have been reported, including two firefighters; one in Italy and one in Austria.

This week’s featured Fire and Rescue International magazine article is: Machinery extrication written by Colin Deiner, chief director, Disaster management and Fire Brigade Services, Western Cape Government (FRI Vol 2 no 9). We will be sharing more technical/research/tactical articles from Fire and Rescue International magazine on a weekly basis with our readers to assist in technology transfer. This will hopefully create an increased awareness, providing you with hands-on advice and guidance. All our magazines are available free of charge in PDF format on our website and online at ISSUU. We also provide all technical articles as a free download in our article archive on our website.

The City of Burnaby has replaced Fire Station 4 with a new station, designed to meet the needs of our growing city, in a new location. The new facility is on City-owned land on Greystone Drive, across from Squint Lake Park and directly adjacent to the Trans Mountain tank farm. It replaces the old Fire Station 4 on Duthie Avenue, which was built in 1956.

Members of the Sterling Fire Department’s dive team have responded to recovery efforts in Lunenburg and Harvard in June 2024. They said the sonar technology they use makes a huge difference when responding to emergencies. Members of the Sterling Fire Department responded to two District 8 Dive Team activations with recovery efforts conducted in Lunenburg and Harvard. Sterling Fire Department utilised Sidee Scan Sonar technology purchased through a Homeland Security Grant during search and rescue missions. Other fire departments in District 8 who now have the same technology on their boats are West Boylston and Fitchburg.

Summer brings nicer weather and social gatherings. It also brings more reasons to cheat on your nutrition and fitness. Avoid gaining fat and stay fit for duty by following these great tips. Zam describes the best way to stay on track with your nutrition during social gatherings, the value of hydration and vegetables and how to stay motivated. Give it a listen and share your thoughts with a comment and like.

Source: Fire Rescue Fitness (FRF)

This video will demonstrate how an emergency Universal RIT Connection (URC) or transfill hose can be added to the Emergency Breathing Supply System (EBSS) pouch on a SCBA. Train, stay prepared, be aggressive, make the save – so others may live!

Source: Dale G Pekel

Join this visit to the RAF Museum of firefighting and meeting with Steve the owner of the wonderful collection. He bought 52 fire engines and started a museum. Hear his story in this video and the importance of enthusiasts who work endlessly to preserve such important history. It was so overwhelming to see all the appliances in one place.

Source: Extreme Garage

The concept of accountability should not be viewed as a one-sided responsibility, where only the team members are expected to be accountable and not the leader. It is important to understand that effective and responsible leadership begins with the leader setting the example. This culture of accountability then permeates throughout the entire organisation, motivating and inspiring all individuals to strive for excellence in their work. It is the leader’s responsibility to create an environment where everyone feels empowered to take ownership of their actions and contribute their best efforts but it must start with the leader first.

Source: Leadership First