Strap profile Cover
Working on Fire celebrates 17 years of successful partnerships
T
he award winning Working on Fire programme, funded by the Department of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries, reached a milestone of having been in existence for 17 years during the month of September. Over the past 17 years, Working on Fire, implemented by the Kishugu Group of Companies, has grown exponentially from its humble beginnings, with just 850 veld and forest fire fighters, to a globally
renowned programme, employing over 5 000 people, encompassing Working on Fire, the High Altitude Team (HAT), the Drought Relief Project (DRP), the Value-Added Industries (VAI) project and its recent addition, the Forestry Support Team programme. Celebrations of this milestone, with the theme, ‘17 Years of Successful Partnerships’, were held at national and provincial level, with various activities and events in all eight
of the provinces whilst adhering to COVID-19 regulations. These partnerships include Working on Fire’s longstanding partnerships with the Department of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries, national and local government entities, public and private landowners and fire protection associations. There are many highlights along Working on Fire’s 17-year growth path, with the many critical interventions in major disaster fires, such as the Knysna Fires in 2017, the George fires in 2018 and the Cape Town Table Mountain fire in 2015, showcasing Working on Fire’s sought-after integrated fire management services. The 10-year celebration at ThabaNchu in the Free State, the participation in various international wildfire conferences and a showing at the 22nd African Forestry and Wildlife Commission highlight Working on Fire’s global footprint. In addition, Working on Fire has had successful deployments of fire fighters and management to Canada, Indonesia and Chile.
4 | FIRE AND RESCUE INTERNATIONAL
Volume 5 | No 5
