Be fire smart: Be prepared
The Winelands Fire Protection Association (WFPA) reports that for every one-degree increase in global temperatures, there’s a 29% increase in fire risk. Between 1st December 2023 and 31st January 2024, more than 6,000 fires consumed nearly 100,000 hectares, making last year’s fire season one of the most severe.
The threat is significant to farms and agricultural holdings and can have devastating consequences for farmers and the community. As the Western Cape, Southern Cape and Eastern Cape prepare for the predicted hot, dry summer, Stefan de Ridder, chair of the WFPA in the Western Cape, warns: “It’s going to be another hell-raiser unless farmers focus on minimising the risks”.
He explains that the consequences can be financially devastating: “If a fire starts on your farm, you’re legally and financially liable for all the damage it causes to other properties”.
De Ridder emphasises that simply preparing and burning a fire break is insufficient to ensure a fire-safe farm. He outlines eight essential steps for optimal preparation.
FIRE READINESS STEPS
1. Clear access: Make sure your people and vehicles can move freely and fire trucks can enter the property (they are generally 3,5m wide, 4m high and 8m long).
2. Reduce fuel load: Remove combustible material that can easily ignite by doing an ecological burn or cutting out dead, dry wood and burning it in controlled piles.
3. Gear up:
- Equipment: Ensure you have working chainsaws, water pumps, backpacks, fire beaters, and equipment.
- PPE: Have adequate safety equipment for all staff.
- Contact numbers: Keep your local Fire Protection Association (FPA) on speed dial (and ensure your membership is current).
4. Educate and practice:
- Train your staff.
- Practice with controlled burns, as showing and experience is always better than telling, especially regarding fires.
5. Water source. Ensure clarity on its location and accessibility.
6. Power source. Many farms rely on electricity to pump water. Be prepared to transfer water if required with alternate power sources, like petrol-powered water pumps.
7. Understand fuels: Some vegetation can unexpectedly spread fires besides wind.
- Gum trees carry oil and often explode when burning, posing a risk to people nearby and can throw the fire hundreds of metres away.
- Green pinecones also explode/shoot when burning and pose a similar risk.
8. Insurance. Water Bomber insurance is available for as little as R100 per month. This investment is highly worthwhile, considering that in 2023, R25 million was spent on just three water bombing helicopters in the Cape Winelands region alone.
De Ridder regularly conducts controlled burns, including fire breaks and ‘ecological’ burns for ageing plants. For example, South Africa’s beloved proteas retain seeds in their flowers until fire triggers their release. “Periodic fires are therefore essential for protea germination and sustainability,” he explains, “and without burning them, old proteas die and become hazardous fire fuel”.
When it comes to choosing firefighting equipment, de Ridder says he relies on Husqvarna products. He uses their chainsaws for clearing and is particularly impressed with their pumps.
“They’re small, powerful, reliable, easy to move around, and budget-friendly. The W25P is great for transferring water, and the 321SP high-pressure pump means I don’t have to dig up fynbos roots to ensure they’re not alight; I use the high-pressure stream to do the underground firefighting essential in this vegetation”.
When tackling a fire, De Ridder deploys two bakkies, one with a bakkie sakkie and another, ready with pumps, stationed next to teams at critical points in the fire’s path. This approach turns dams and streams into usable firefighting water sources.
“Fire is a natural part of our ecosystems,” he concludes, “so we must be prepared. We can protect our farms and ensure their wildfire resilience with the right tools and knowledge.”
Source: WoodBiz Africa Magazine – June 2024 (Pages 36 – 37)
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