Frequently asked questions for fire season

Whether you’re a landowner or a resident in town, fire season brings many questions:

What can you do? How can you help? And what steps should you take if a veldfire threatens your property? To make things easier, we’ve put together a simple FAQ that outlines your responsibilities – and the practical ways you can support fire readiness this season.

Official veldfire updates are shared via the Overberg District Municipality Facebook page, Overstrand Municipality Facebook page or on the Greater Overberg Fire Protection Association Facebook page.

Please refrain from sharing inaccurate or unconfirmed reports on fires. Unconfirmed and inaccurate reporting can complicate firefighting efforts.

The Western Cape fire season officially starts on 1 December every year. Until then, the aerial resources are fighting fires elsewhere in South Africa.

Strategies and application of the use of aerial support are complex. Various factors to take in account can include:

• Weather conditions.
• Availability of the necessary support is always critical to ensure effective use of aerial support.
  
• In perfect conditions the non-availability of aerial support.
• The use of aerial support is at the discretion of the Fire Chief or his/her Incident Commander. In certain instances, consultations may take place with landowners when aerial support is activated. Read more
  

You can assist in different ways:

• Farm owners and managers:

If you are at immediate risk, you can assist with firefighting on your property; if not, you can assist a neighbour or properties within your FMU.

• Non-farm owners:

If you don’t have firefighting experience or resources, you can assist the hardworking firefighters by dropping off nonperishable donations at the fire station closest to the fire.

If you are unsure, call the Overberg Control Room on 028 425 1690 or Overstrand Control Room on 028 312 2400 to find out where you can drop off donations. 

If you have a landline, use the landline to call:

• Overberg Control Room on 028 425 1690
• Overstrand Control Room on 028 312 2400

If you don’t have a landline or cellphone reception, drive to the nearest road or high point where you can get signal, and call the fire department control room immediately.

Sharing on a WhatsApp group is helpful but does not constitute a formal request to the Fire Services.

Call the Fire Department immediately when you see smoke or fire!

All veldfire incidents should be reported directly to the Fire Department. They will ask for the following information:

• What is the location of the fire?
• What is on fire?
• Is there any infrastructure close by?

Overberg Fire: 028 425 1690
Overstrand Fire: 028 312 2400

There are a few options of ground crew or contractors that can assist in firefighting efforts or the important mop-up efforts. And as a landowner, you can enquire about ground crews directly. Have a look at the following Facebook pages for contact details:

• NCC
• Lewis Bush Clearing and Alien Firefighting
• Please check your local group for other possible contracting teams.

Land users sign up to the goFPA voluntarily. Signing up is easy. Download the member application form from here.

Members pay an annual fee determined by the size of the property, which is used to enhance legal compliance and integrated fire management activities.

PLEASE NOTE: The goFPA is not a fire-fighting agency. We assist landowners and the Fire Services with coordination during their fire-fighting efforts.

The goFPA actively works to manage and control veldfires over the hot summer months. A lot of our work takes place before the fire season even starts:

• We help land users to meet their legal requirements.
• We provide training to land users and their teams.
• We facilitate fire management planning, like helping with firebreak planning and the signing of firebreak agreements between neighbours.
• We help set-up of ways to effectively communicate warnings and fire-fighting progress.

All this forms part of our integrated fire management assistance.

There should always be a responsible person on or near your property. Notify a neighbour, friend or employee. And make sure they know how to contact the Fire Department. Time is critical.

Overberg Fire: 028 425 1690
Overstrand Fire: 028 312 2400

Having control over contract crews on your land is important. These are steps you can take to make sure contract crews do not cause fires:

• No smoking in undesignated spaces.
• Do not use machinery or power tools (e.g., chainsaws, brush cutters, bossieslaner, welders and grinders) on orange and red days. See if crews can rather take on other activities on these days.
• No open fires in undesignated areas. This includes making fires to keep warm in the morning and fires to cook or warm food, as well as no smoking.
• Your team must be able to contact you should a fire start.

• An official Fire Services group.
• It is not possible to keep all stakeholders fully informed of the risks, warnings, strategies and fire-fighting activities.
• Directly affected landowners have to stay in touch with the Fire Services during a veldfire. As goFPA we will do our best to facilitate that relationship.

If there is a veldfire in or close to your area:

• Urgent messages with location or status of the veldfire will be shared as soon as possible or when possible.
• This group will be used to request landowner (affected) meetings to discuss the status, give warnings and what preparation needs to be done.
• Should time allow, fire-fighting tactics/activities in general or specific to individual situations will be shared. This is not always possible and cannot be expected from such a group.
• Urgent warnings e.g. change of fire behaviour – when the authorities or the goFPA does not have all the contact details of the affected landowners, then such groups might be used to give specific warnings.

As a landowner, you are responsible for fire caused by illegal woodcutters on your land.

A landowner needs to show his/her efforts to prevent activities such as woodcutting, illegal squatters, etc. on their land. This can include:

• Clear signage
• Limit access to your land
• Report trespassers to SAPS.
• Be prepared to respond and ensure your fire breaks are in place.

Image credit: Marco Jordaan

When you see fires burning in a circle, it doesn’t mean that the fire was purposefully ignited in a circle. Instead, newly ignited fires often burn in a circular shape because the flames spread evenly in all directions before gaining momentum. The wind plays a big role – when it’s strong, the fire quickly moves in one direction. But if the wind is calm or light, the fire can continue burning in a circle for quite some time.

As a landowner, you are responsible for fire caused by illegal woodcutters on your land.

A landowner needs to show his/her efforts to prevent activities such as woodcutting, illegal squatters, etc. on their land. This can include:

• Clear signage
• Limit access to your land
• Report trespassers to SAPS.
• Be prepared to respond and ensure your fire breaks are in place.

Once the fire is out, be sure to document the incident thoroughly. Record the pole number, take photos of the pole and the nearest substation, note the time the fire started, and capture images of the fire and any related details. Keep this information safe – you’ll need it as evidence of how the veldfire started on your land.