Fire and Rescue International Newsletter

In a blink of an eye, we are approaching Christmas and year end! 2024 has, like all years prior, left it’s imprint on us and we have left our imprint on it. We gained loved ones and have lost loved ones, made new friends and lost some friends.

That brings us to time. Time is not promised. We might not always appreciate the value of time; however, we fully understand it when it runs out. Let us make the most of time now and in the future. Hug your loved ones, spend time with your family, friends, colleagues and pets. Time is precious and is also priceless. It is the most beautiful gift you can give!

With Christmas around the corner, we would like to share this inspirational message from the North Pole, “Just remember, the true spirit of Christmas lies in your heart.”

As we are readying ourselves for 2025, let’s take our lessons learnt with us and use them as stepping stones into the New Year, embracing its opportunities and challenges with open arms and guiding and supporting others through the year ahead. And above all, share your lessons learnt and be mentor to those around you, irrelevant of your or their rank/position.

A VERY BIG THANK YOU to all our readers and advertisers for their support! But also a big thank you to those who regularly submit articles and photos on incidents, ensuring that the industry stays updated. Your support is priceless!

To all our first responders that are on duty during the Festive Season, we wish you an uneventful period and, in the event of an incident, a positive outcome. To those travelling on holiday, travel safe and enjoy the rest and to those staying at home, spending time with family and friends, may it be a memorable time!

The Fire and Rescue International offices are closed for the Festive Season and will reopen in January 2025. This is the last newsletter for this year. We trust that you have enjoyed the weekly FRI Newsletter during 2024 and found it informative and useful. Keep reading and supporting us in 2025!

Wishing all a safe, incident-free and Blessed Christmas and a very positive, proactive, happy and inspirational 2025!

Quote of the week
“It’s not how much we give but how much love we put into giving.” ~ Mother Teresa

“When we recall Christmas past, we usually find that the simplest things, not the great occasions, give off the greatest glow of happiness. “ ~ Bob Hope

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Lee Raath-Brownie
Managing Director
Cell: 082 371 0190

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Firefighter stalwart, Jan Liebenberg, passed away on Monday, 9 December 2024, from cancer. Jan was well-known respected and owner, together with his wife, Elmaré, of South African Emergency Care (SAEC) and Fireman’s Tavern. A firefighter, paramedic, biker, musician, husband, father and a leader of many; Rest easy Jan. Our deepest condolences to Elmaré and his family, friends and colleagues. A memorial service will be held for Jan in January 2025.

Sources: Scales Mound Fire Department, US; Rescue department of Central Ostrobothnia and Pietarsaari, Sweden; City of Red Wing, US; New Mexico State Police; 9 News; The Bands of HM Royal Marines; City of Winchester VA

A huge rescue operation was conducted on Friday, 13 December, when Mpho Pienaar (age 3) fell into a borehole on a farm in Bainsvlei. Mpho went missing at around 13h00 on Friday; the boy’s father realised something was wrong at around 17:00 when he still had not seen his son. He went looking for Mpho and located him at 19h00, discovering the boy fell into a narrow hole of roughly eight metres deep and could not get out. SARZA (Search and Rescue ZA) Free State unit, alerted by the Bainsvlei Residents Forum and various other emergency services, were deployed to a scene of a young child who had accidentally fallen approximately 8m deep into a narrow borehole located approximately 30km NW of Bloemfontein. The hole posed significant challenges to the rescue operation due to its confined space, narrow diameter (approximately 200mm) and precarious structural condition.

A twin-engine Piper Navajo made an emergency landing on a busy road in Victoria, Texas, after running out of fuel, according to the FAA. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) says fuel exhaustion led to a twin-engine Piper Navajo making an emergency landing on a road in Victoria, Texas on Wednesday, 11 December 2024. The FAA’s preliminary report noted the aircraft struck two vehicles before splitting in half at a busy intersection.

At least 14 people were killed in a road accident Monday, 16 December 2024, in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. Eastern Cape Transport Department spokesperson Unathi Binqose, said that the horrific head-on collision involved a sport utility vehicle (SUV) and a minibus taxi on the N9 road just outside Graaff-Reinet in the early hours of Monday. Binqose said the SUV, carrying six occupants, collided with a fully loaded minibus taxi traveling from the Western Cape to the Eastern Cape.

In 2026, Interschutz in Hannover will feature an exciting addition to its programme: on 3 and 4 June 2026, around 300 international chief fire officers and strategic leaders in the fire service will come together at the trade fair for the premiere of the “FEU Leadership Conference.” To formalise this collaboration, the FEU and Interschutz signed a joint Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) at the 56th FEU Council meeting in Limassol, Cyprus, on 8 November 2024.

The City of Cape Town Fire and Rescue Service decided to pay forward the support it received from the public, businesses and NGOs last summer, when a number of devastating fires kept firefighters on the front lines. This generous support in the form of sustenance donations allowed our Firefighters to get on with the business at hand, fighting all the fires which was experienced in Cape Town. The Chief Fire Officer (CFO) Clinton Manuel made a call for Fire Service Christmas Boxes to be filled with gifts, to members of the service, who immediately sprang into action.

The Ontario government has announced a $32 million investment in the Mental Health Supports for Public Safety Personnel (MHS4PSP) programme. This initiative aims to provide specialised mental health services to first responders and public safety personnel, including firefighters, police officers, correctional workers and paramedics. The programme builds upon elements of Ontario’s Roadmap to Wellness, a comprehensive plan to enhance mental health and addiction services across the province.

The City of Cape Town Fire and Rescue Service crews responded to a fire at a bakery on Thursday, 5 December 2024. “At approximately 22h10 an emergency call was received of a building alight in Bofors Circle, Epping Industria 2”, said Jermaine Carelse, Sspokesperson for the City’s Fire and Rescue Service. It appeared that the fire originated from a bakery and then spread to adjacent buildings.

The Polish Centre for International Aid (PCPM) completes training of Kenya’s USAR team. It is the only such unit in Kenya. “We are intensively training the Search and Rescue Team for Building Disasters (USAR). It consists of experienced firefighters from the most threatened regions in Kenya. The current phase of training focuses on improving techniques for stabilising damaged structures and rescue operations in difficult terrain conditions, such as excavations.”

This week’s featured Fire and Rescue International magazine article is: How to go about becoming a veldfire investigator by Rob Erasmus, Enviro Wildfire Services (FRI Vol 2 no 12). 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.

Completed in 2010, the dynamic new 30 000 sq ft Brandon Fire and Emergency Services Building in Manitoba, Canada, validates the idea that a primarily utilitarian programme, which often times results in a prefabricated solution, can become a sophisticated architectural project that contributes to its surrounding community and landscape while still fulfilling its demanding functional requirements and modest budget. The facility is divided into two formal components, a fire hall wing and an administrative wing.

In November 2024, Vallfirest had the privilege of participating in the EU Prescribed Fire Training Exchange (TREX) held in Alto Minho, Portugal. This significant event brought together over 45 professionals from nine countries, Portugal, Spain, USA, Germany, Brazil, Canada, Poland, Guatemala and Ecuador, to share knowledge and practices in wildfire management. During the event, Vallfirest not only showcased the capabilities of the Dronster, its state-of-the-art remote-controlled forestry mulcher but also introduced an exciting new innovation: an experimental burner device mounted on a DJI Agriculture drone.

Firefighter and Team Cellucor member Clarence Parks conquers one of the most difficult physical feats for even the hardest of heroes. Can you handle the Firefighter Combat Challenge?

Source: Bodybuilding.com

In firefighting, seconds can mean the difference between life and death. That’s why daily training is crucial! Sharpen your skills, boost your speed and strengthen your instincts because when the call comes in, there’s no time to hesitate. Be ready, be fast and be prepared. Train like lives depend on it because they do!

Source: Sierra Vista Fire Training

2013 is Burbank Fire Department’s Centennial, so they set up a special photo shoot at Station 13, to showcase some historic rigs from Burbank’s past, along with the newest truck in the fleet. My friend Jay and I just happened to be driving by at the time, so we basically crashed the party to bring you this video, I truly hope you enjoy it! The most notable of the collection are the 1913 Moreland Hose Wagon and 1915 Christie Front Drive Tractor pulling a 1906 Christie Steam Pumper, which was originally horse drawn. A huge thank you goes out to Joe Lyneis for taking my camera along to record on-board footage for you to enjoy. Be sure to pass along a thank you to Joe in the comments if you dig his footage.

Source: Ryan Bomar