#1 SafetyIssue

Volunteer Wildlife Services

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Who? What? Where there is smoke

there is fire and this is invariably

where you will find us,

the VWS

#1CREWLEADERTIP

Get familiar with your 18 watch outs and report to the crew leader if you see anything amiss. Every crew member must also function as the crew leaders eyes and ears.

Andrew Hagen

by Patrick Ryan

The Volunteer Wildfire Services, made up of 180 volunteers from all walks of life is part of the first response call out to wildfires in the Western Cape. Responding under the authority of SAN Parks and Cape Nature, we are a dedicated collection of individuals who come together to battle, at times, the intense heat, flames and

smoke that runaway wildfire generates.

Those who are also in the firefighting business will understand, but for those who haven’t experienced this see the article titled “Just How Hot” on the effects of this,

along with first hand experiences told by members.

In this inaugural issue you will find out who we are, the people who make up the Volunteer Wildifre Services and why we choose to do what we do.

Being in the VWS requires a certain type of person, call them adventurer, thrill seeker, outbacker or hero, these are people who willingly give up their time to grab their back packs, PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) and jump into the back of one of our Land Rovers. It requires a certain dedication, and of course understanding from family and friends, to leave a braai, a dinner or a comfortable evening in, to head off into the mountains, all in order to combat wildfires for anything between 9 to 12

hours, sometimes longer. This group of individuals, who i am honoured to serve with, started out as a handfull with a desire to help and make a difference to the very destructive fires that raged in the Western Cape in the late 90’s. That passion has grown and their passion pulled

other like minded people to join the VWS and help our unit grow.

With summer coming i thought this, our first issue of The Line could deal with Safety First, the firefighters long standing motto.

Combating Heat Stress

Rolling Stones!

JustHow Hot?

PPE8 16

2220

issue #1 Safety

Safety & Complacency4

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2Letter from Editor-----------------------------4Safety And Complacency-----------------------------8Combating Heat Stress-----------------------------10F I R E o R d E R S-----------------------------11Watch out!-----------------------------1418 Watch out Situations-----------------------------16Why We Need To Wear PPE, Personal Protection Equipment.-----------------------------20Rolling Stones!-----------------------------22Just How Hot?-----------------------------26Pretty, But Pretty dangerous-----------------------------28Safety First-----------------------------32Fire Stats-----------------------------36Member Profiles, Q&A-----------------------------42Pledge Page-----------------------------

It was in the heart of

a busy fire season

when I learned one of my

biggest lessons as a crew

leader and firefighter for

the VWS.

conditions were stable with minimal wind. We had a strong and experienced team and an experienced lookout tasked with solely watching our line. Therefore, I rationalized, if we worked downhill we could re-supply our water rations and then mop up going uphill, finishing the day back at our extraction point. The path down was also unknown and it could take some time to reach the bottom. By that time we could lose a lot more vegetation.

After consulting with experienced members of the crew we decided to work from the top down but ultimately it was my call. We got stuck in straight away but the fynbos was old and full of alien vegetation, resulting in slow progress and a very hot burn. Nevertheless we quickly knocked down the majority of the line we were tasked with for the day. What remained was a 30m active section on a heavily vegetated slope with a rocky cliff face dropping 50m down to the river below. 5 members were finishing off the section on the steep slope, while four

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To explain this, I’d like to relate what happened a week before. The call out had come early one evening and we spent the better part of that night tackling a blaze in very thick, old fynbos. In the early hours of the next morning, despite our best efforts, we were called off the line. The elements were beating us and it was time to regroup. A few hours of rest and the conditions of the early morning proved much better for fighting fire, resulting in us successfully chasing a flank over a koppie and onto a ridgeline. Working at a good pace, with excellent teamwork, and the addition of another crew on the line, we were making quick work of extinguishing this active flank, which passed over the rise, extending down into a river gorge. We had no choice but to keep following it and dragging the black down. The two teams worked methodically down the steep face and closed off the flank against a river. All in all, a very successful day, with the welcoming stream cooling aching muscles and providing perfect hydration at the end of a hard 17 hour day.

This experience created a file, a memory logged in my head, which was to influence a way of thinking that led to complacency in how I treated a fire a few days later.

Another fire line and another scorching hot day in the Cape summer. I was Crew Leader this day and we were trooped in via chopper after being assigned to a particular section of a very long and active flank. our assigned section extended from the base of a riverbed and went 800m up a steep mountain face. The rest of the flank proceeded at least 4km along a steady rise with other teams tasked at working that line. difficult access meant we were dropped at a heli-spot on the uppermost section of our assigned flank. Now it was decision time, would we hike down to the river and secure the base before proceeding back up to our current location or start working straight away with one foot in the black and knock down the flames as we proceeded downhill? Watch out, I thought, we will be making a line moving downhill, a potential risk. However wind

Safety and ComplacencyBy Ryan Heydenrych

Photos captured by Andrew Hagen during a precarious moment when members of a team had to run through the fire line after being surrounded by a spotting fire. This highlights the importance of knowing and being constantly aware of watch out situations. All members survived and only received minor burns owing to the cool head of the Crew Leader, Mark Randall.

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of us were prepping for a potential hazard we had spotted. A small gully led up from the river and I determined we had about 15 minutes before flames entered it. There was no way we could get down there and cut it off before the fire entered the gulley and the flames rushed up towards us. I tried to radio for choppers to drop on this spot immediately. Problem! No response from the fire boss due to poor signal in the mountain. Plan B, was to try my cell phone but again, no signal. Three choppers were busy filling up in the river near us and I had no direct comms with them! So all we could do was prepare for the rush up the chimney that was about to hit us. We made quick work of clearing vegetation to minimize the impact of the chimney effect, finishing just in time. In a flash the fire was in the gulley and racing up at us. We retreated to a safe zone, but it was a close call. The rotor wash of a chopper dropping above us fuelled the chimney further adding to our tricky situation... If only they were able to drop on our location, I thought. The fire rushed up the gulley, over took our holding line undoing 50% of the work we had done and reignited

the line. My crew above the gulley, on the face at the time, had to retreat into the black away from the flames proceeding up the slope. A close call, and to add to my woes the trunking radio, that I had strapped to my pack while clearing vegetation in the gully, had unclipped itself as we retreated and was burned. The line of sight radio I had on my belt had also melted from the radiant heat, which gives you an idea of how hot it was and how close it got. We did finally get the flank under control and the day was deemed a success. However, in retrospect, I realize I had become complacent.

So logged in my memory banks was a successful attack on a flank in a similar situation that heavily influenced the decision I made that day when things went slightly wrong. No one was injured, except for two radios, but in worse conditions it could have been a lot more dangerous. It’s imperative to learn from failures, mistakes and errors in judgement. doing so will mould you into a better firefighter.

So where did I go wrong. My rationale for

working down slope was not totally flawed but it wasn’t comprehensive enough and I didn’t adjust it to all the factors in play. What I did not calculate in my decision process was:• older and more dense vegetation.• Poor communications with fire boss / aerial support.• degree of slope, very steep and difficult terrain.• A gully with active flank beneath (I didn’t know about this until later however I should have scouted better, realised this threat and adjusted my strategy).

My biggest error being I had let a previous situation convince me that I was doing the right thing. We were successful another day doing something ‘similar’ so I applied a similar strategy. Every fire is different, I should have known better but I let complacency creep in. It’s something that most firefighters will experience at some stage and if you can recognise it, then I believe it will make you better at what you do.

Learn from situations on the line BUT always remember to fight fire in the present.

We stayed safe but we could have done it safer. We could have been better and more successful if we had anchored that fire first. Routines can be dangerous, base your decisions on current factors. Yes, tap into your knowledge base and let that build your experience and confidence but also realise that every fire is different and different conditions, different crew, etc will make every situation you face unique. I have learnt to respect that.

Hopefully this story will alert you to this and you don’t make the same mistake or if you do make a mistake you will realise it, and like me, learn an extremely valuable lesson. Sometimes more work initially, like hiking to the bottom before you start, means less work later on.

Firefighters can also fall into the complacency trap on prescribed fires, small fires, quiet divisions on big fires, and in mop-up. The reality is that in situations that are

seen as ‘straight forward’ or less challenging some firefighters are less vigilant, complacency sets in and becomes a factor in firefighter safety. This is why analysing decision making, having fire debriefs and being able to realize where you could have done things better is so important. Put pride away for a minute and you will learn a whole lot more about yourself and become a better firefighter and better person because of it.

Watch out for lack of awareness and over confidence, especially in the case of new recruits, who as firefighters are unaware of some of the dangers associated with fighting wildland fires. on the other end of the scale many experienced firefighters can become somewhat complacent or over-confident in their ability to be successful in most situations. Some firefighters practice denial or follow the same procedures no matter what the situation because it’s what they know best.

Complacency on the fireline! Be aware of it, and don’t let it happen to you.

#2CREWLEADERTIP

Carry a whistle!

Andrew Hagen

If you are rusty on your fireline safety then here is a link to some good reading:http://1.usa.gov/RR6cVa

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oTTAWA — For ottawa firefighters, beating the heat is an essential part of the job — and was particularly during the scorching, dry summer now drawing to a close. It explains why local residents will sometimes see firefighters sitting in what appear to be glorified beach chairs, their hands and forearms submerged in water reservoirs. The chair is a patented piece of safety equipment, known as the Kore Kooler Rehab Chair. And it is the brainchild of ottawa firefighter Peter McBride, division chief of safety and innovation, who developed it a decade ago in response to an emerging body of research about heat stress and how to combat it.

The chair takes advantage of a deceptively simple fact first established in the late 1980s by Canadian researchers with the department of National defence: that plunging hands into cold water is the quickest, easiest way to cool someone who has overheated. Hands are rich in veins, which quickly convey cooled blood to the body’s core. The dNd researchers concluded that the method could be used to decrease the resting time required by soldiers in hot weather.

Royal Navy researchers subsequently built upon the work, concluding in a 1997 British study: “This simple and effective technique may be applied to many industrial and military tasks to reduce heat strain, lower the risk of heat injury, and increase safe total work times in the heat.” Several years later, when he came across the research, McBride immediately understood its application to firefighting.

“As a safety guy, I knew how bad that problem — heat stress — could be,” says McBride, then an incident safety officer.Heat stress poses a substantial danger to firefighters, particularly in the summer when it’s easy to overheat inside protective clothing — and hard to cool down in hot, humid air. Heart attacks account for 45 per cent of deaths among on-duty U.S. firefighters, according to a March 2007 study published in the New England Journal of Medicine. Relatively fewer police officers (22 per cent) or paramedics (11 per cent) die from similar cardiovascular events.Researchers believe that the discrepancy is explained, in part, by the effects of heat stress. When overheated, the human

Combating HeatStress

by Andrew duffy,ottawa Citizen

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body tries to dissipate heat by sweating and radiating heat through the skin. But that effort places additional demands on the heart, and for people with underlying coronary disease, that can cause trouble. Firefighters face still more peril since they’re doing heavy work under extreme conditions in bulky gear. Those factors can combine to raise a firefighter’s core body temperature to dangerous levels above 39C.

In the past, firefighters cooled themselves by taking off equipment, sitting in the shade, drinking water. (Some applied ice packs, which quickly reduce skin temperature but do little to address elevated core body temperatures.) McBride brought science to bear on what firefighters now call tactical rehabilitation. He designed a chair to take advantage of the cooling power of forearm immersion. His first effort saw flower boxes bolted to the arms of an aluminum folding chair.

“It was pretty ugly but it worked,” says McBride, now acting chief of safety with ottawa Fire Services. McBride experimented with other designs and ultimately applied

to patent his lightweight, collapsible rehab chair in 2003. The chair, which can hold 18 kilograms of water in two armrest reservoirs, is now manufactured and sold by a U.S. firm, Honeywell First Responder. It is being used by fire services across North America and has also been embraced by sports teams and army units.

“This is a very simple way to keep your workers or athletes cool and keep them productive,” says McBride.In ottawa, the chair is used in rehab stations established at all major fire events. The stations take firefighters away from the heat and stress of a fire to cool their core temperatures. At the stations, firefighters rehydrate and have their core temperatures measured. Then they’re actively cooled either by sitting in a rehab chair or in an air-conditioned space. deputy Chief Kim Ayotte said managing heat stress is a fundamental part of any fire response, but becomes critical during the kind of extended heat waves that hit ottawa this year.“That’s why on very hot days, at a house fire, we have a lot more firefighters going to a fire: because the environmental heat also affects them,” he explained. “We have to make sure

we rotate people through rehab to ensure they’re safe.” Firefighters are required to go through a rehab session after about an hour of work at a blaze. It takes between 15 and 30 minutes to reduce an individual’s core temperature back to normal.

Research shows tactical rehab improves safety while maximizing the efficiency of firefighters. “It does allow them to go back into service to fight the fire faster,” said Ayotte. McBride said ottawa residents without air conditioning can apply the same method to protect themselves against heat stress. “All you have to do is fill up your sink with tap water and put your arms in,” he said.Even water that’s 30C will effectively cool someone who is dangerously overheated.

aduffy@ottawacitizen.com

Read more: http://bit.ly/QUmOdk

Chair that is mentioned in article (placeholder description)

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#3CREWLEADERTIP

Buddy up at the start of a fire and help look out for each other.

Andrew Hagen

This order recognises the need for meaningful and bold actions to fight fires, but always remember that no resource or property is as valuable as a human life.

The purpose of this fire order is so that you can give or receive a change in instructions, warnings of changing conditions or pending danger, changes in status, or progress reports. They can provide critical information which could save your life.

If your supervisor is not clear and precise, demand and receive specific direction.

Make sure that instructions and assignments are understood...

establish and maintain an effective communication link... and know the locations of all

crew members at all times.In short, think before you make

a move, no matter how tired you feel - or how much adrenaline

is pumping. This final fire order may seem the most obvious of all, until you experience

the stress of a wildfire. Heat exhaustion, fatigue, or panic may strike when you least expect it,

even for a few critical moments.

For example, where is the fire perimeter? Where is

it moving? How fast is it moving? Are there spot

fires between you and the perimeter? If your own

observations don’t provide the answers, get in touch with

someone who can tell you.

Elements contributing to fire behaviour include weather, topography and fuels. Keep your eye on the fire and try to anticipate how it might change given these three conditions.

A safety zone is any area that is unlikely to burn - including ground already burned over, a wetland or river, even a rock slide. The ways you get to it are your escape routes. They should be the fastest and easiest routes, cleared in advance.

Lookouts should be experienced, alert and reliable, able to recognize changes in the weather and dangerous fire conditions such as spotting. The purpose of the lookout is to keep you in touch with the fire when you’re preoccupied with tasks that keep you from seeing and hearing it yourself.

Again, it’s important to be informed about three weather factors that affect the behaviour of fire: wind, temperature and relative humidity. Always keep in mind that weather can make a critical difference in firefighting strategy.

Fight Fire aggressively but provide For saFety First

remain in communication with crewmembers, your supervisor, and adjoining Forces.

ensure that instructions are given and understood.

retain control at all times.

stay alert,keep calm,think clearly,and act decisively.

obtain current inFormation on Fire status.

initiate all action based on current and expected Fire behaviour.

determine saFety zones and escape routes.

establish lookouts in potentially hazardous situations.

recognize current weather conditions and obtain Forecasts.

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#4CREWLEADERTIP

Safety first, in transporting fire fighters as well as on the line.

Mark Randall

Watch out!by Andrew Hagen

At some point in our training as firefighters, we encounter the “18 Situations That Shout WATCH OUT!. Hopefully not all at the same time, and hopefully before you arrive at your first fire. Scanning through this list, you’ll notice that most of it is common sense and that one can immediately grasp the risk described, but unfortunately we don’t live in a perfect world.

The problem is that when one arrives at a fire, especially in our more remote mountain areas, it is almost disappointing when you can’t tick off at least five such warnings. For a start, there is no safe zone committee – you have to find them yourself. A fire is only properly sized up when somebody has seen it all (easier said than done when some have spread over 35,000 ha), and you are, more often than not, on a hillside where rolling material can ignite fuel below.

To make sense of a fire situation, a crew leader should begin by remembering the “Ten Standing Fire orders”. Sometimes we list them so that they spell out F I R E O R D E R S, but this clever mnemonic comes at the expense of a very simple point: the last fire order should be “Having provided for safety first, fight fire agressively”. The other nine orders are the critically important groundwork for a safe operation, and should be enforced in preparation to and while actually fighting the fire.

on the next couple of pages you’ll find photographs taken on VWS operations. Take a moment to go over the watch out signs and see how many you can link to the photos.

Fireline Safety – applying the

theory

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this is a scene from a winter fire operation near Kleinmond. June is a pleasant month for firefighting given the lower temperatures, but the lack of helicopters on standby can put ground resources very much in the hot seat. This particular fire fight was one of the most physically demanding as a combined result of rocky terrain, splintered firelines, poor visibilty and woody vegetation.

Some safety concerns are visible,for example:

• Semi un-burnt area means that there is no clear safe zone.• Fireline is not anchored.• Cannot see main fire.• Terrain and fuels make escape difficult.• Erratic wind – the swirling smoke indicates that the wind is not blowing constantly in one direction.

Photo by Andrew Hagen

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on the bright side, slope aspect is east facing and it is winter, which is a lot more forgiving than a west facing slope in summer, which may look like this.It is immediately clear that one would not be wise to attempt approaching this second fireline from above. In fact, this is a fireline that should be left well alone by a hand crew.

In the opposite page photo, the fire was finally brought under control by a focused effort where the crew worked together moving uphill from right to left, after earlier attempts to suppress the fragmented line in smaller teams had proved unsuccessful. Keeping your crew close together and working as a unit is usually the safest and most effective way to bring a fireline under control – beware of the temptation to spread out and deal with too many areas at once!

Being a good firefighter has plenty to do with experience, but a little experience (like a little knowledge) can be a dangerous thing. Always try to keep observations in context – many of the risks on a fireline are not visible to the eye, and no two fires are the same. Look for the watch out signs in every situation and apply the fire orders, and you are well on your way to being a safe and effective firefighter.

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#5CREWLEADERTIP

Size counts: City Fire’s 65mm hoses really do pack a punch. If you are ever instructed to operate one of these hoses, try to ensure that you do not do it alone – get a team member to assist you.

RobStamiadas

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A while back I was working on a movie set with a colleague, in the action a curtain was set alight and two flame bars were ignited. In theory the actors depart the set rapidly and then the SFX guy cranks up the flame bars so the whole room is alive with flames, the Ad calls cut, the gas to the flame bars is turned off and we put out the remains of the curtain.

What actually happened was a huge flame ball barreling towards us, we were both wearing full bunker suits with flash hoods and helmets, but my crew mate had left his eyebrows exposed behind the visor on his helmet. Net result crinkly fried eyebrows. What saved my eyebrows, my flash hood was covering them and I was directly behind my colleague. A few weeks ago karma caught up with me, on the VWS movie burn, I had on a flash hood, got too close and lost half my eyebrows, as the hood was not properly covering my face. What is PPE, its PERSoNAL (that’s you) PRoTECTIoN (stops you burning) Equipment (cool looking stuff you wear). In

a normal work place you will hear people talk about a safe working environment. In the fire service we can never expect a safe work place; it’s by its very nature a bad place to be. So we need to create safe people working in an unsafe place. Your PPE is a large part of making you safe. If worn correctly it will protect you and stop you getting burnt.

So how is it worn properly, start at the top, flash hood covers your entire head, except for part covered by your goggles, your helmet is put on over the flash hood, with chin strap in place, if it is loose it will not protect you from falling rocks properly. Tuck your flash hood over your collar on your shirt, make sure no skin shows.

Get used to wearing goggles, it’s vital to keep smoke out of your eyes, as well as shielding your face from the heat. If your goggles mist up, they will, only clean them when well away from the fire. Wear your shirt with the collar up under the flash hood, sleeves rolled down, and over the ends of your gloves, no skin on the wrist

Why do we need to wear PPE,

Personal Protection Equipment

by doug Hardy

showing. Wear a 100% cotton T-shirt under your shirt. If your flash hood is tucked into your shirt, embers can be caught in the collar will land up in your shirt.

Make sure your gloves are comfortable and that you can work with them, otherwise you will be taking them off to answer your radio etc, no good on the fire line!

Wear you pants tied over the top of your boots, you don’t want hot embers in your boots, it’s a funny dance to watch but not great if your doing it. Make sure your boots are sturdy, waterproof and comfortable. one of my biggest gripes is that it takes the average volunteer far too long to put on their PPE, practice putting it on properly and quickly, when the Landie stops at the fire be ready, climb out with your PPE already on.

Please read the PPE specification and make sure you have the right gear. Ask a team member to check your eyebrows are covered, unless they grow like mine and need prescribed burning regularly.

16

Safety first, in transporting fire fighters as well as on the line.

#6CREWLEADERTIP

A bandana and a hanky/small cloth: two essential items that should be easily accessible. A bandana is useful in thick smoke – tie it around your head, covering your mouth and nose, under your flashhood. A hanky/small cloth is useful for wiping your goggles when they mist up on the inside.

Clayton Cross

Photo by Patrick Ryan showing the correct use of PPE. Note the flash hood pulled well up to cover the nose, avoiding the signature mark of burned skin across the bridge of the nose common to firefighters. Here Clayton Cross keeps an eye on his team during a prescribed burn.

Photo by Patrick Ryan showing the use of the Bambi Bucket water bombing technique carried by a Kamov Helicopter helping to suppress a damaging fire that raged on the slopes of Devils Peak, Cape Town.

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#7CREWLEADERTIP

Carry sufficient water, if you know you drink a lot, carry extra water. If you run out you are going to dehydrate other firefighters when you have to drink their water.

Mark Randall

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Whether you are fighting a fire on Table Mountain or du Toits peak you are almost always working on a slope (oK, maybe not at Noordhoek…) and as any older member can tell you: rock falls do occur.

Rock falls are not random events and can be caused by many factors including:

1. Burning vegetation releasing rocks which had been caught in it.

2. Fire fighters accidently dislodging loose rocks.

3. Hoses being dragged up or down slopes can dislodge rocks.

4. Bambi bucket drops can dislodge rocks and / or cold water hitting hot rocks can cause them to fracture showering fragments down a slope.

No matter how “safe” you feel on a steep slope the risk of rock falls is very real to both you and those below you. Therefore keep your L A C E S in mind.

In a nutshell you will almost always be fighting fires in suboptimal conditions, rock falls frequently occur, this is a reality we face. While there is always an element of luck involved in avoiding them if each team member knows what to do if and when a rock fall occurs the chance of injury will be greatly reduced.

Keep your helmets on and keep safe!

Rolling Stones!by Peter Hagen

Fig 1.

Fig 2.1. Ideally post an experienced crew member to keep an eye out for falling rocks if crossing or working on a potentially hazardous area, but this is often not feasible.

2. Each team member must watch out for dislodging rocks and for rocks falling from above. (When a rock comes careering down a slope you may be the first to spot it.)

3. If you see a rock that could easily be dislodged in your path, warn the person following you not to step on it - don’t assume they will spot it.

4. Keep team close together (if one dislodges a rock it will not gain much momentum before hitting the next crew member.)

Lookout:

1. Recognise danger zones (gullies, below cliffs, steep loose slopes) and avoid them where possible.

2. do not linger or take a rest stop ina gully – gullies channel rock falls downa slope.

3. Be very cautious in tight valleys / ravines even when the fire is “out”.

4. Be very wary when:• The fire is burning directly above you.• There are crews (with or without hoses) above you • There are water drops.

5. do not take your helmets off.

AWARENESS:

1. If a rock fall occurs high above you and you are in a gully get out of the gully immediately.

2. Try to reach cover – against large boulders / a tree trunk or a best of all a rock outcrop.

3. If you do not have time to get to cover keep your eyes on the falling rock and duck or side step it as it get close to you. Its safer to keep your eyes on the rock than run around without purpose. This would count as a “near miss” so please try avoid being in this situation…

4. f there are multiple rocks falling and you can’t avoid them then get into a foetal position on the ground with your hands placed on your head (holding your helmet on) and wait until you are certain there are no further falling rocks. Most rocks are likely to bounce safely over you.

EScApE RoutES:

1. Try get close up against a cliff face / rocky outcrop (Fig 1.) Good place to takea break too and even better if overhanging.

2. Crouch behind boulders or smaller outcrops if you can’t avoid path of the rock fall. (Fig 2.)

3. Ascend ridges rather than valleys or gullies (of course sticking to the black!)

SAfE zoNES:

1. Shout “rock below” or “rock” if you dislodge one or see one falling above or below you.

2. If there are crews far below you immediately warn them by radio. don’t assume they will spot falling rocks.

3. don’t give complicated messages – a falling rock moves faster than your mouth!

coMMuNIcAtIoNS:

#8CREWLEADERTIP

Maintain good communications with your CL and crew, if you have a problem speak up, if you have a question ask.

Mark Randall

#9CREWLEADERTIP

Always be alert and ahead of a situation, nature is unpredictable; know what to do if there is a wind change or a flare up.

Clayton Cross

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Everything has a temperature at which it will burst into flames. This temperature is called a material’s flash point. When wood is heated to this temperature, it releases hydrocarbon gases that mix with oxygen in the air, combust and create fire. Though the flashpoint of wood is just 300 C wildfire can, depending on what is burning, reach temperatures of 800 C when in full fury. In just seconds, a spark or even the sun’s heat alone can set off an inferno.

once a fire begins, it can spread at a rate of up to 23 kph, consuming almost everything in its path. As a fire spreads over grass, brush and trees, it may take on a life of its own, creating it’s own micro climates and winds -- finding ways to keep itself alive, even spawning smaller fires by throwing embers, called firebrands, miles away.

on a hot summer day, when drought conditions peak, something as small as a spark from a train car’s wheel striking the track, or a cigarette thrown carelessly

from a car window can ignite. Sometimes, fires occur naturally, ignited by rock fall or a lightning strike. However, the majority of wildfires are the result of human carelessness.

There are three components needed for ignition and combustion to occur. Heat, oxygen and fuel form the fire triangle. Firefighters often talk about the fire triangle when they are trying to put out a blaze. The idea is that if they can take away any one of the pillars of the triangle, they can control and ultimately extinguish the fire.

Sources: National Geographic and Natural Resources Canada.

Just How Hot?by Patrick Ryan

Water Bladder

While beating down flames in grass at a stackburn I was surprised to suddenly notice my mouthpiece and drinking pipe from my hydration bladder stretching past me towards the ground. It was melting! I hastily stepped back and away from the heat in front of me. I had spent too long in the “dead Man Zone”, the area in front of a fire in which you are at highest risk of being caught and burned should conditions change. Being a stack burn this was a controlled situation, however this incident highlights the need for constant awareness and staying away from the “dead Man Zone”. This zone is roughly 3 times the flame height in distance from the front of the fire, but is of course dependent on fuel type, slope and wind direction. Watch this clip for more info: http://bit.ly/YELXAE

Gloves

These gloves show the results of half a season of fire fighting and mopping up. They were replaced within the first three months of firefighting as I would often, as most firefighters do, pick up still burning logs and material and throw it back into the burned area away from the unburned fuels. Navigating the tricky, already burned terrain, can also add to the wear and tear as one often braces or balances oneself on the still very hot soil and rocks. Post fire heat can be retained for hours, even days, by the soil and the roots lying beneath the ground, often these “hot spots” can be recognised by an area of white or very bleached looking ground.

Radio

The face of this radio again shows how intense the heat can become when working close to a wildfire. The top part of this line-of-sight radio became slightly deformed and melted by the heat when it fell from my shirt pocket into the still burning line while we attacked an aggressively moving flank just behind the fire head. I immediately retrieved it but the damage had occurred. during the same incident my flash hood had shifted and exposed the skin on my upper nose between the goggles and material resulting in the skin being burned away. This is a common occurrence and one should always make sure the flash hood is securely positioned and no skin is exposed.Western Cape in the late 90’s. That passion has grown and their passion pulled other like minded people to join the VWS and help our unit grow.

#10CREWLEADERTIP

Unthought-of metal objects getting hot: I have had the unpleasant experience of my trouser’s zip getting extremely hot during work in close proximity to flames – beware gents! Metal buckles, key-rings, zips and other metal objects that are easily overlooked can get incredibly hot.

ClaytonCross

Almost a year ago, while on patrol during the Guy Fawkes Night festivals and activities, we witnessed a chinese lantern rising in the night sky.

The winds had shifted from a gentle offshore to an onshore breeze and we watched with a mixture of fascination and worry as the lantern rose above the houses and one in particular elevated towards the peaks of the Twelve Apostles. It struck home that should the lantern touch down on the mountain it could well start a fire. Should a fire occur at high altitude the only way to get teams up to it would be by hiking, as the choppers don’t fly at night. A hike to that height on the mountain at night would take, even for a Type 1 crew, at least 2 to 2.5 hours. This could result in a major area of vegetation becoming burned.

Though these lanterns are very beautiful floating away against a dark sky, we, along with Sea Rescue, urge people not to use them. Party and Wedding Planners suggest they enhance special occasions, but if you think about it carefully, you will agree they are a hazard in every way.

Remember the tourist who carelessly flicked a still burning cigarette from their car? The resulting fire cost a woman her life.

When they float out to sea, they are often mistaken for emergency flares and reported as such. This causes Sea Rescue hours of fruitless searching, because unless there is a witness who is 100% sure it’s a lantern and not a flare, Sea Rescue will launch a search.

People who set off these lanterns do so innocently, thinking only of the lovely atmosphere they hope to create, but with the number of false alarms that Sea Rescue responds too (when it turns out a flare was in fact a Chinese lantern), and the potential for a disastrous wild fire on the mountain, we are asking people to please refrain from launching the lanterns.

Celebrate, but celebrate safely. Consider the area we live in here in the Cape with the sea on one side and the mountain on the other.

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Pretty,but Pretty Dangerous

by Patrick Ryan

#11CREWLEADERTIP

PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) is issued for a reason, make sure it is used correctly.

RobStamiadas

Members of the VWS maintaining their vigil, to ensure the fire does not jump the line into unburned vegetation, during a prescribed burn despite the intensity and uncomfortable nature of the thick smoke given off by the Fynbos.Photo by Patrick Ryan

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Safety Firstby Andrew Hagen

I was asked to write a short piece on Safety First. Going through the literature on this topic there are a lot of safety factors to consider. Something that I feel we need to be particularly aware of is complacency. Every fire, every situation we face when we respond to that “FIRE CALL” sms involves a degree of risk and danger. Being aware, alert and having good situational awareness is how you should approach every fire, no matter the size. It’s not always the BIG fires that pose a danger.

Here is an insert from the Fireline Handbook - National Wildfire Coordinating Group.

Common Denominators of Fire Behaviour on Tragedy Fires:

Further to this, understand the following:

Incidents happen on smaller fires or on isolated portions of larger fires.

Fires look innocent before “flare-ups” or “blow-ups.” In some cases, tragedies may occur in the mop-up stage.

Flare-ups generally occur in deceptively light fuels.

Fires run uphill surprisingly fast in chimneys, gullies, and on steep slopes.

Fire direction or wind speed unexpectedly shifts.

#12CREWLEADERTIP

Don’t rush in, take a minute to analyse the situation before you go in.

RobStamiadas

Smoke is a combination of airborne solid and liquid particles and gases, given off when vegetation burns. Smoke is one of the primary causes of death in fires, this is caused by thermal damage, poisoning and pulmonary irritation as a result of inhalation of carbon monoxide and other combustion products. Our flash hoods reduce the effects but one still has to be very aware of not spending too long breathing the smoke in.

Wildland firefighting is an exhaustive process and fitness is paramount to the safety and effectiveness of one as a firefighter on the line. However when rest is well deserved it should always be taken in a safe zone, such as in the black, with watch outs constantly alert and aware.Photos by Patrick Ryan

32

Total fire hours

2008/09

2011/12

2010/11

2009/10

3888 h

2839 h

4362 h

3821 h

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Area Burnt in Cape Peninsula

(Table Mountain National Park)

2008/0

9 – 57

4 ha

2009/1

0 – 83

ha

2010/1

1 – 37

9 ha

2011/12

– 308 ha

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Total training hours

Since its establishment in 1999, VWS has trained 27445 hours in total

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Total stand by hours

1 hour

19065

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What drew you to join the VWS?Technically GooGLE drew me to VWS, but in reality I am really interested in becoming a firefighter so I started looking for volunteering opportunities to “get my foot in the door” to start gaining experience.

What word best describes the VWS to you? Honesty.What do you do, work, study?Studying my Masters in Architecture, unemployed in 2 weeks time.

Most memorable VWS moment to date?I haven’t yet been on the fire line, but having said that, every day training and night hike session I have been to have been incredible so far, so it would be unfair to single out any one of those. BUT, marshelling the Gun Run so far was probably the most memorable

experience. Being a part of an organized team such as the VWS gave me my first taste of getting the job done in the yellow. In particular though, that morning, Carel was driving us there in the Landy and suddenly the sirens were switched on for a few seconds (still not sure if he turned them on by accident or not), but that was a really cool feeling and cant wait to be doing it for real someday!

Favourite Band or music?I prefer electro music.

Which Station do you belong to?JNK.

Wine or Beer?Ice cold beer after being out in the hot sun, can’t beat that!

Rakehoe or Beater?Again my lack of fire line experience is talking here, but I’d go with Beater, even though it’s more awkward to walk with (which yes, I found out the hard way), I suppose I’d prefer to directly fight the fire instead of doing the gardening. Can I answer this again after my first call-out?

Best way to get people to join the Pledge?Show them you enjoy what you’re doing by wearing your (dirty) uniform with pride.

iPhone, Blackberry or Samsung?Very proud to say, NoNE of the them!

What sports do you do?Running and golf every now and then, probably once a year. I struggle to find a free afternoon these days to mindlessly follow that white ball around (This list was much longer in High School, I swear).

Favourite ice cream flavour?That lemony tasting one or whichever one looks the most refreshing on the day.

How has the VWS changed your life? In the short time that I have been involved so far, it has given me back a sense of being a part of a team. I’ve missed my team sports and the friendships that you make through common interests. Fighting fires is definitely an interest of mine and being a part of the VWS is allowing me to explore that interest to its full potential.

Zac Jefferson

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What drew you to join the VWS?I fought a wildfire out in Wellington on the Scout Ranch in 2002 and it was fun! Then I saw the VWS stand at an airshow and signed up.What word best describes the VWS to you?BooM!

What do you do, work, study?Work as a firefighter for the City, and study odd things on the side.

Most memorable VWS moment to date?When Table Mountain burnt in 2009, long shift, soaked, drunk UCT students wandering up to the fireline...

Coffee or Tea?Tea.

Rob Stamiadas Favourite Band or music?At the moment uhhh..

Which Station do you belong to?Nuweland!

Kit Kat Chunky or Bar One?did you just ask that?

Wine or Beer?Beer.

Rakehoe or Beater?My custom made Stamski, a lightweight version of the Pulaski.Best way to get people to join the Pledge?Tell them about Bambi, and how she hates wildfires.

iPhone, Blackberry or Samsung?BB.

What sports do you do?Soccer and cycling.Favourite ice cream flavour?Chocolate.

How has the VWS changed your life?It has introduced me to a vast number of amazing people.

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What drew you to join the VWS?Went to hear about forming a community fire fighting group in Glencairn, doug convinced me during a heated debate that the VWS was the way to go.

What word best describes the VWS to you? Fun…and knowing that what we do helps others.

What do you do, work, study?Work - photogrammetry.

Most memorable VWS moment to date? Slanghoek fire 2h30 call out, great team work and ended with air support at sunrise ( huey shower).

Coffee or Tea?Coffee.

Favourite Band or music? No favourite - enjoy all kinds.

Which Station do you belong to?Sps and Nwl.

Kit Kat Chunky or Bar One?Bar one.

Wine or Beer?Coffee.

Rakehoe or Beater?Rakehoe on night hikes. Beater for fires.

Best way to get people to join the Pledge? After a fire in the area.

iPhone, Blackberry or Samsung?old Nokia so none of the above.

What sports do you do? None.

Favourite ice cream flavour?Rum and raisin.

How has the VWS changed your life?Get all excited when i get a sms, happy to go to work at 2am at no notice and not get paid.

Allan Roy

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What drew you to join the VWS?My brother and several of my friends joined the VWS over a couple of years and I always admired the VWS for what they do, protecting our mountains and all the wildlife and the ecosystems that are so threatened by fire. Watching the fire-fighting demo at open day always made me feel so proud I felt I could burst! At first I didn’t think I’d be able to contribute much myself but after a while I discovered I like pushing my own boundaries so I decided to join and help as much as I could. What word best describes the VWS to you? Team.

What do you do, work, study? I’m a musician - singer and multi-instrumentalist - and I work as a web designer / graphic designer / typesetter so I can feed my cats!

Most memorable VWS moment to date? My first fire and the feeling of calm that I experienced, within a terrifying situation, at knowing I had people looking out for me and we all just had to get the job done.

Coffee or Tea?Both!

Favourite Band or music?Currently L’Arpeggiata (early European music) and Faun (pagan folk)Which Station do you belong to?Newlands.

Kit Kat Chunky or Bar One?Bar one.

Wine or Beer?WINE.

Rakehoe or Beater?Rakehoe.

Best way to get people to join the Pledge?Tell more people about what we do; create more of a presence (yellow shirts!) in public so that people notice and become interested.

iPhone, Blackberry or Samsung?Hand-me-down iPhone - the best :)

What sports do you do? I love boxing when I have time and opportunity. one day when I have lots of time I will go cross-country / offroad biking!

Favourite ice cream flavour?Sinnful Yummy.

How has the VWS changed your life?Joining the VWS started a kind of chain reaction for me where I started doing - and most importantly, realised I was able to do - more and more things I never dreamed I’d be capable of doing. It also helped me realise that while I could do all these dramatically new and different things, I did also have strengths that I could focus on, instead of trying to do everything. It was quite important for me to realise this, especially in the context of the VWS.

Vera Vukovic

40

What drew you to join the VWS?I was looking for a “do something good” thing that involved the outdoors and didn’t involve giving money or things directly to people. Back then VWS was a lot smaller and it seemed like a nice crowd to hang around with.

What word best describes the VWS to you? High-Speed-Gardening.

What do you do, work, study?IT dev and R&d for a Pathology Company. Music, Photography.

Most memorable VWS moment to date? Coming off a really hectic fire at Cape Point that lasted about a week - everyone was completely exhausted - and having to avoid the eye of the eTV camera when the sight of someone offering me a peanut butter sandwich almost made me cry.

Coffee or Tea?Coffee

Favourite Band or music?Am I allowed to plug my own band Callout? Which Station do you belong to?Newlands.

Kit Kat Chunky or Bar One?Nope. Neither.

Wine or Beer?Red Wine.

Rakehoe or Beater?Beater.

Best way to get people to join the Pledge? Points mean PRIZES! People love that stuff.

iPhone, Blackberry or Samsung?Samsung.

What sports do you do?A bit of swimming, hiking. drumming is a good workout!

Favourite ice cream flavour?Beer flavour at that Hout Bay Italian place.

How has the VWS changed your life? I think it becomes part of your life, rather than changing it.

John Murray

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What drew you to join the VWS?Got a flyer, thought I’d check it out. Havent looked back.

What word best describes the VWS to you? Adventure.

What do you do, work, study?Work. Retail specialist.

Most memorable VWS moment to date? Assegaaiboskloof 2010. Landing a Huey in sandstorm, attempting to change a WoF truck tire with crude tools and being trucked back to base at 2am in an open van over the Franschoek pass.

Coffee or Tea?Caffeine.

Favourite Band or music?Rise Against. Looking forward to Ramfest.

Which Station do you belong to?JNK, proud hoeker!

Kit Kat Chunky or Bar One?Breaks are for the weak. 25hour day please.

Wine or Beer?Beer.

Rakehoe or Beater?Beater hands down.

Best way to get people to join the Pledge?I tell them about Assegaaibosch Kloof (And I tell the guys chicks dig it).

iPhone, Blackberry or Samsung?Samsung.

What sports do you do?SCUBA / freediving, Bodyboarding, Squash, Hiking and considering taking on some trail running.

Favourite ice cream flavour?Pistachio

How has the VWS changed your life?I’ve grown more fond of the outdoors, become more active and I’ve met some amazing people and seen places that make you realise how lucky you are to be part of this world. I’m also a lot more comfortable braaing in summer :d

Carel Kriel

Just R50 a month would buy a VWS wildfire firefighter their uniform, R100 a month would buy the same firefighter their full uniform plus the recommended wildland helmet and flash hood, and R175 a month would allow the firefighter to confidently battle the blaze in full uniform and all protective gear previously mentioned including fire resistant boots and gloves.

Being a volunteer organisation means we rely completely on both personal and corporate sponsorship to remain effective and operational. The VWS is also a registered Non Profit organisation, which means all your money you donate is only used to equip and train our firefighters. We have no paid staff and all management is equally done on a volunteer level.

With the theme of this issue being the motto of firefighters worldwide, we’d like to give you, our reader, the opportunity to support a firefighter in the VWS. By donating or pledging you allow the VWS to continue to equip their members and new recruits with the best PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) possible. When faced with the extreme situations and the difficult terrain we often find ourselves operating in, this can mean sometimes mean the difference between life and death.

To pledge your support to

one of our wildfire fire-

fighters please go to:

www.vws.co.za

Thank you.

Pledge

EditorPatrick Ryan

DesignMarysia Makowska

ContributorsAndrew Hagen,Andrew duffy,Andrew Ingram,Clayton Cross,doug HardyRyan Heydenrych,John Murray,Mark Randall,Patrick Ryan,Peter Hagen,Rob Stamiadas.

Volunteer Wildlife Services Contactmarketing@capefires.com+ 27 (0)82 9380090

@vwsfires

facebook.com/VolunteerWildfireServices