Drakenstein Municipality celebrates International Firefighters’ Day
On Saturday, 3 May, Drakenstein Municipality celebrated International Firefighters’ Day, giving a memorable tribute to firefighters worldwide. This day is observed internationally on May 4 annually to honour the firefighters who put their own lives at risk to protect their communities.
The proceedings kicked off with a motorcade that started in Wellington to Paarl Mall, followed by a procession of William Loyd drum majorettes, Paarl boys’ high band and the Cape Town Caledonian Pipe band. At Paarl Mall, various activities took place.
The formal opening by MMC Arendse was followed by the ‘ringing of the bell’ ceremony, led by Mr Colin Deiner of the Western Cape PDMC and four of Drakenstein Fire Service members with 35 years of service.
There was a team challenge competition for the firefighters open to all the Western Cape fire services. The firefighters showed off their exceptional skills, grit and determination during the competition, to great joy of the crowd that came to witness them in action.
There were exhibitions and demonstrations from, amongst others, the Fire and Rescue Services of Drakenstein Municipality and EMS Paarl, with various fleet and sponsor exhibits.
The families and children of the community and visitors to the event had a good time exploring the fire engines and other equipment.
The day ended on a high note with a gala and prize-giving ceremony in the Paarl Town Hall, where the winners were rewarded for their impressive performances earlier the day.
Source: CFO Wynand Els, Drakenstein Fire Service
Quote of the week “A good objective of leadership is to help those who are doing poorly to do well and to help those who are doing well to do even better.” ~ Jim Rohn
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City of Tshwane Emergency Services Department honours firefighters’ bravery and service
On 4 May 2025, the City of Tshwane Emergency Services Department recognised and celebrated the extraordinary courage, dedication and sacrifice demonstrated daily by the brave men and women of the firefighting community. The event took place at Kolonnade Retail Park in Montana, Pretoria. The celebration served multiple purposes: to remember firefighters who lost their lives in the line of duty; to honour those who assisted in the recovery of SAPS bodies from the Hennops River; to present certificates to newly trained firefighters and to unveil 11 newly acquired support vehicles.
At least 70 dead in Iran port explosion and fire
A massive explosion and fire at the Iranian port of Shahid Rajaee has left at least 70 people dead and more than 1 000 others injured. The blast occurred on the morning of Saturday, 26 April 2025 and was reportedly felt up to 50km away. The ensuing fire spread between cargo containers across large areas of the port. Fires continued to burn for several days, and clean-up operations are ongoing. Iranian authorities have reportedly arrested two people, including a government official, in connection with the incident.
City of Cape Town Fire Service draws a crowd on International Firefighters’ Day
City of Cape Town’s Mayoral Committee Member for Safety and Security, Alderman JP Smith, officiated at the opening of the International Firefighters’ Day commemorations, which started with a cavalcade of firefighting vehicles from Belhar Fire Station to Erica Park. Every year, International Firefighters’ Day is observed on 4 May to honour firefighters for their dedication, commitment, perseverance and to remember those who lost their lives. Visitors were able to interact with firefighters, experience the various specialised fire vehicles and even had the opportunity to have a closer look at the aerial support craft.
National Fallen Firefighters Foundation Hosts Memorial Weekend, US
The National Fallen Firefighters Foundation (NFFF) hosted its annual memorial service for fallen firefighters on Sunday. You can watch it streamed here. This year the foundation honours 140 firefighters who died in the line of duty, 70 firefighters who died in 2024 and 70 who died in previous years. Each year the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation publishes a remembrance book that highlights the firefighters who are being recognized each year in Emmitsburg at the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial. These books give you a glimpse into the lives of these brave men and women who gave the ultimate sacrifice and who will be forever enshrined at the memorial. Please take a look at not only this year’s remembrance book but those of the past.Download PDF
NSRI opens rebuilt St Francis Bay Station and blesses two new rescue vessels
The National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) has officially opened the newly rebuilt Station 21 in St Francis Bay and held a blessing ceremony for two state-of-the-art rescue vessels: the Spirit of St Francis III and the Spirit of ScottSam on Sunday, 4 May 2025. The upgraded station and vessel launch systems represent a significant advancement in facilitating life-saving operations along a coastline renowned for its challenging conditions.
‘Shocking’ amount of abuse against ambulance staff, UK
South Central Ambulance Service (SCAS) has said at least three members of its staff are being abused or attacked every day. The number of violent incidents against UK ambulance staff reached an all-time high in the last 12 months, with 22 536 cases recorded. It is a rise of 15 percent on the previous year, with 1 147 incidents against employees of SCAS, which covers Oxfordshire, Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Hampshire.
15 killed in horror head-on road crash in Eastern Cape
A night-time collision between a fully loaded minibus taxi and a double cab bakkie killed 15 people on the R63 road between Adelaide and Maqoma, formerly Fort Beaufort in the Eastern Cape. Five people were in hospital with serious injuries after the crash at around midnight on Saturday to Sunday, 4 May 2025, near the Eastern Cape town of Maqoma, provincial transport spokesman, Unathi Binqose, confirmed. A fully loaded minibus taxi and a bakkie struck each other. The driver of the double cab died on the scene. Thirteen passengers in the Quantum, including the driver, were declared dead on the scene.
While bulldozers are essential to California’s wildland firefighting efforts, few know they exist, let alone how they work. Fortunately, we recently had access to the annual HEIST training, a two-week interagency training effort to prepare fire dozer operators for the upcoming fire season. This year, over twenty dozers and an enormous team of heroic operators showed up. And we were there to see it all!
Source: Aaron Witt
Four killed in horror crash on KZN’s R33 near Vryheid
Four people were killed in a head-on collision on the R33 Kambula Road near Vryheid in KwaZulu-Natal, on Sunday, 4 May 2025. Craig Botha of KwaZulu Private Ambulance Service said, “KwaZulu Private Ambulance Service responded to find a chaotic scene where tragically four people had already succumbed to their injuries before emergency services arrived. Our paramedics, working alongside Fire and Rescue services, successfully stabilised and extricated a critically injured child from the wreckage.”
California adds second C-130 airtanker to world’s largest aerial firefighting fleet, US
With peak fire season on the horizon, Governor Gavin Newsom today announced the state’s second C-130 Hercules (C-130H) airtanker is now ready for firefighting operations. This strengthens California’s ability to protect communities from catastrophic wildfire, adding to the largest aerial firefighting fleet in the world. Last year, California became the first state in the nation to own, operate, and deploy a C-130H airtanker for wildfire suppression. The first C-130H was a critical part of the state’s firefight in Los Angeles earlier this year. Since it went into operation, the tanker has flown 90 missions responding to 36 fires and dropping 253 702 gallons of retardant.
Hennops River retrieval process puts sharp focus on the divers, Pretoria
For days, diving teams have battled against waters, limited visibility and emotional exhaustion leading to the discovery of three police officers who were found dead at Hennops River. While their bodies and the car have been recovered, the search for answers continues. SABC News speaks to Marcel van Staden and Paul Cullumbine who are Swift Water Rescue Technicians and divers to find out what it takes to navigate these waters, the specialised tools, the safety protocols and the psychological weight of such a difficult task.
Source: SABC News
Featured FRI Magazine article: Incident typing by Reinard Geldenhuys
This week’s featured Fire and Rescue International magazine article is: Incident typing by Reinard Geldenhuys, chief fire officer, Overberg District Municipality (FRI Vol 3 no 5). 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.
Fire stations of the world: Costa Mesa Fire Station No 1, California, US
Costa Mesa Fire Station No 1 is a new 11 675 square foot facility designed to replace the original station which was built in 1961. The 1.0 acre site is located on the northwest corner of Adams Avenue and Royal Palm Drive in Costa Mesa in Orange County, California. Opened on 29 September 2018, the station is located in a largely commercial corridor but is directly south of a residential portion of the City. The station is designed to accommodate ten fire fighters in an individual dormitory setting. Other station features include a three-bay, double-deep apparatus room, administrative office areas, kitchen, dining room, day room, physical training room, mechanic shop, medical supply storage and the various support spaces required for a facility of this type.
Technology: Taiwan launches new tactical ambulance for Armed Forces
The Armed Forces has unveiled a new emergency vehicle for warfighters at Feng Chia University in Taichung, Taiwan. The system was developed to improve the military’s rapid rescue capabilities on the battlefield and optimize the efficiency of corresponding medical procedures for injured troops. Medical equipment inside the ambulance includes physiology monitoring devices and four sets of advanced monitoring modules for patients with critical trauma.
Fitness: Firefighter combat challenge training
Definitely don’t miss this. I used to compete before I started crossfitting. This is definitely not a short-man sport. Not too bad considering this course set-up is longer than the original one and it’s been for ever since I last did this, approximately five years. When I was competing my goal was to get sub 2. Took me well over three years to get a 1:57 then I retired and found crossfit.
Source: Omar Torres
Training: Firefighter safety and survival skills: low profile ladder escape
Firefighter safety and survival skills: low profile ladder escape, Orozco.
Source: JMSanchez1989
Vintage: 1970s fire department paramedic rescue and seatbelt film ‘Collision Rescue’
This is a 1970’s era, colour movie, presented by the Film Library, Department of Human Resources. Produced by Ray Jewell. Written and directed by Michael Ross. Camera Rick Eisman. Produced in part by Los Angeles County Fire Department, Emergency Squad Training Institute and the California Highway Patrol. Produced by Film Communicators, Hollywood.
Source: PeriscopeFilm
Inspiration: Quote of the week
Just for fun
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