1. Acting Mayor of George – Charlotte Clarke, Chief Fire Officer of the George Fire Department– Neels Barnard and Oakhurst Insurance MD – Peter Grindlay.
2. The hammer hit challenge is just one of many gruelling activities the firefighters had to perform.
3. The Cape Winelands District performing their drill in the streets of York Street.
The recent fires that devastated the Southern Cape will be forever etched in the memories of the country. The nation watched heart-wrenching scenes of Knysna residents looking on helplessly while their homes were engulfed by flames. Despite us knowing more today about the fire prevention than ever before, South Africa still experiences around 40 000 fires per annum.
The contribution of our brave firefighters, who put their lives on the line daily, is often overlooked. This prompted Oakhurst Insurance to get involved.
“Last year, Oakhurst Insurance and businesses from Eden helped upgrade the living quarters at the George Fire Department, creating a more comfortable environment for our hard-working staff and we are very grateful to our local community for their support.” commented Neels Barnard, Chief Fire Officer at George Fire Department. “It was our turn to host this year’s International Firefighters’ Day, a global event which is held on the 4th of May and we wanted the community to get behind it. It is used to honour our courageous firefighters that make massive sacrifices to ensure that our communities are kept safe. After approaching Oakhurst Insurance, they did not hesitate to get involved and we are very appreciative of the major role they played in the two-day event.” continued Barnard.
The event commenced on Friday, 4 May with the Chief Fire Officers’ meeting at the Oakhurst Insurance Conference centre. Giving decisions-makers from the Western and Southern Cape fire departments an opportunity to connect, share ideas and discuss pressing issues. This was followed by a parade of fire engines, firefighters, a drill squad and marching band that made its way through the streets, where members of the community lined the route to cheer them on. The day’s prominent colours were blue and red, taken from the firefighters’ symbolic ribbon, with the two colours representing the two elements that are very present in the life of the firefighter – water and fire.
The Saturday began with a heartfelt address and a “ringing of the bell” ceremony to pay tribute to the eight firefighters who lost their lives in the recent fire season, leaving everyone with a lump in their throat. This is a 200-year-old tradition that is performed by the worldwide firefighting fraternity.
The crowd were then treated to an impressive display of athleticism by 44 firefighters who took part in the team challenges. As if these challenges weren’t gruelling enough, the firefighters were fully kitted out in their gear and had to compete under the heat of the scorching sun. This gave the crowd a good sense of the blazing conditions they have to endure in the line of duty.
Other activities for the day included an extrication demo by the George Fire Department, a Fire Chiefs’ hose roll and potjiekos competition by the firefighters.
The winners of the team challenges were Eden District Municipality (men’s category) and Overberg District Municipality (women’s category) with the George Fire Department picking up the top culinary honours in the potjiekos competition.
“The work that our firefighters do is so important for our community, and I really believe that they are worthy of the highest recognition.” said Peter Grindlay, Managing Executive of Oakhurst Insurance. “International Firefighters’ Day 2018 was a roaring success but we shouldn’t need a catastrophic fire or parade to remind us of the great work they do. We encourage our locals to get more involved with our Emergency Services on a regular basis, and enhance community co-operation wherever possible.” concluded Grindlay.
Outside of the two-day festivities, Oakhurst Insurance raised a substantial amount of funds for the upgrading of the Thembalethu Fire Department living quarters, through selling ribbons prior to and during the event. They also assisted in arranging educational firefighting demos, as performed by George Fire Department at Glenwood House, Tyholora Primary and Thembalethu Primary and Erika Primary School, bringing fire prevention awareness to the learners.
International Firefighters’ Day 2018 highlights video.
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