AS recorded temperatures reached as high as 42 degrees on Thursday 18 September, privileged Zululanders took shelter in air-conditioned rooms and offices.
But there was no such luxury for the men and women of the City of uMhlathuze’s Fire and Rescue Services, who tackled no fewer than 36 fires on that single, scorching day.
Braving extreme heat from the blazes and at times close to exhaustion, their superb efforts were not helped by water shortages in places, low water pressure and, on some occasions, opposition from locals who tried to prevent them from doing their duty.
Low water pressure at Alton necessitated fire tankers at the Richards Bay station having to be filled up at Mondi.
The ‘fire-fighters’ day from hell’ came under discussion at Tuesday’s special council meeting, where praise was heaped on the City’s firemen and women, some going as far as suggesting they be given medals.
Besides bush and plantation fires, the stretched fire crews also attended to a number of structural fires, with more than 20 houses completely destroyed in the City’s drought-ravaged rural wards.
The fire brigade’s Alton command room was inundated with calls, many of them related to water restrictions, and standby personnel were brought in to assist, with fire-fighters working extra hours long into the night.
Vehicles, possessions and livestock were also lost in the blazes, and the Community Services department responded by providing food parcels and blankets to affected families.
Province will be called on to declare a disaster situation and provide additional aid.
The day of flames highlighted a number of disaster management challenges, not last of which is the under-manned and ill- equipped fire station in Richards Bay, and the stop-start construction of the new R12.5-million eSikhaleni Fire Station.
As far back as February 2012, the Zululand Observer and the City’s Ward 2 Committee were slated by municipal officials for publishing the pathetic state of the Richards Bay Fire Station premises, vehicles and equipment.
Councillors on Tuesday vindicated that expose, saying the concerning state of disaster readiness and capacity, plus the critical need to accelerate the eSikhaleni Fire Station construction must be urgently investigated, and that ‘money should have been spent long ago’.
Hats off to these many men and woman…..where can we help.