In this issue
2020 Oorsig / Overview
Lidmaatskap / Membership
WOF Produksie
Chatsworth and Riverlands Awareness
New GCFPA Website
Member’s overview
Brandgereedheid
Kontak die GCBBV
Dear Members,
We share this newsletter to provide you with a brief overview of 2020.
As you are all well aware, 2020 was a big challenge for us all. We are now facing the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic and there will surely be more challenges to face for each and every one of us and we would like to encourage our members to stay safe!
Despite these challenges, the GCFPA has not faltered in the delivery of services and support to our members. This year, our organisation contributed to the safeguarding of 896 members’ properties in preparation of the 2020/21 fire season, of which 40 are newly signed-up members. Our domain grew to 1,132,568 ha from 2019’s 1,116,410 ha. We will continue to be at your service during the festive season.
On behalf of all of us at the GCFPA, we wish you and your family a joyful and blessed holiday season! Be on high alert at all times and remember: safety comes first.
Geagte lede,
Ons deel graag ‘n paar van 2020 se hoogtepunte met ons lede in hierdie nuusbrief.
Die afgelope jaar was vir ons ’n groot uitdaging weens die COVID-19 pandemie wat soveel mense in ons land gekniehalter het. Nou, met die tweede golf op hande, voorsien ons verdere uitdagings vir ons elkeen en moedig ons ons lede aan om asb op hoede te bly!
Tenspyte hiervan het die Groter Cederberg BBV nie terug gestaan in ons dienslewering en ondersteuning aan ons lede nie. Vanjaar het ons produksieprojekte bygedra tot die beveiliging van 896 lede se eiendom in voorbereiding op die 2020/2021 vuurseisoen, waarvan 40 nuwe lede is. Ons domein het gegroei tot 1,132,568 ha teenoor 2019 se 1,116,410. Ons sal regdeur die feesseisoen op bystand wees vir ons lede.
Namens almal by die GCBBV wens ons u ‘n geseënde feesseisoen en vakansie toe! Wees asb ekstra versigtig en onthou: veiligheid eerste!
Lidmaatskap / Membership
‘n Grondeienaar is slegs ‘n lid by die GCBBV indien sy jaarlikse ledegeld op datum is. U het almal reeds u jaarlikse rekening en staat ontvang maar daar is steeds lede wie se fooie uitstaande is. Ons wil ‘n beroep doen op hierdie lede om u lidmaatskap ten volle te vereffen, ten einde te kwalifiseer vir die voordele van lidmaatskap. Kontak vir Jacomien Britz (jacomien@cederbergfpa.co.za).
A landowner is only a member of the GCFPA if their annual membership fees are fully paid up. All our current members have by now received their invoices and account statements. There are, however, still some members who’s payments are still outstanding. Please ensure that your membership is paid in full to qualify for all the advantages of membership. Please contact Jacomien Britz (jacomien@cederbergfpa.co.za).
WOF Produksie
Die Porterville, Vredenburg, Tulbagh en Limietberg Working on Fire (WoF) spanne was werksaam by verskeie produksieprojekte, waarvan almal met groot sukses voltooi is.
Lede is bygestaan in die bestuurseenhede van Allandale, Aurora, Cerderberg Bewarea, Groot-Winterhoek, Kapteinskloof, Piket-Bo-Berg, Porterville, Riebeek Vallei, Olifantsberg en Koue-Bokkeveld. Produksie het ingesluit: ±16 ha brandbane, indringer plantbeheer van ongeveer 25ha, en die voltooiing van sowat 851ha beheerde brande.
Die spanne lewer werk van ʼn hoë gehalte en verseker dat hoë brandgevaar risikos op u eiendom verminder word. Al hierdie prosesse help grondeienaars ook om aan die Brandwet te voldoen.
Skakel gerus die GCBBV kantoor indien u wil gebruik maak van die Working on Fire spanne om ook u brandrisiko te verminder. Dit verlos u eie personeel om dan aan te gaan met die daaglikse aktiwiteite op u eiendom.
Chatsworth and Riverlands Awareness
The GCFPA, in collaboration with CapeNature, The Table Mountain Fund (TMF) and the Fire Brigade Services of the West Coast District Municipality, hosted two Wildfire Awareness Events on the 21st and the 22nd of October at the Chatsworth and Riverlands communities. Community members’ social and economic assets are always at risk during a wildfire as these members are surrounded by fynbos and invasive alien plant species, both of which are prone to wildfires.
The objective for these events was to ensure that these communities are well informed about the causes and risks of wildfires, and how to prevent this from happening. Fifty two community members, representative of the various institutions within these two communities, participated in the events. Other key topics that were presented include aspects such as how communities can prevent and mitigate risk, and the correct protocol to follow when a wildfire is detected.
The GCFPA and the Vredenburg Working on Fire (WOF) team further visited the Chatsworth and Riverlands Primary Schools to increase fire awareness amongst the youth in anticipation of the upcoming fire season. The pupils enjoyed the events and actively participated in the activities that were presented by the WOF team and various awareness materials were made available at the Riverlands and Chatsworth POP Centers. To further increase awareness, Fire Danger Rating signs were erected at both of these centers and schools. The ‘FDI’ is an indicator that is used to predict the probability of the start and spread of wildfires within a specific area, based on conditions such as weather and humidity.
Learning and being educated about fires, the risks and the prevention thereof is of utmost importance in order to protect our social, environmental and economic assets.
A key message of the day was to report wildfires immediately at the West Coast Disaster Management Centre at 022 433 8700.
We have updated our website with a new look and feel as well as some useful and interesting features – one of which is an exciting new function that continiously updates the site with news through a direct link to our Facebook page. This means that all our Facebook posts with daily FDI during the summer fire season will also be available at the news section of our website. We now also have a blog that is a very efficient campaign tool – so far, the results and feedback from members and the public has been astonishing.
The GCFPA strives to spread awareness and we focus on new ways to accomplish this through our new website. We can now offer members, communities and educators usefull awareness materials that can be downloaded directly from our easy-to-use website. Being informed and educated is very imported in order to be fire wise. You can visit our website here: www.cederbergfpa.co.za.
Member’s Overview
The GCFPA recently conducted a very successful controlled burn for one of our members, Michael Stevenson, in the Koue-Bokkeveld Bussiness Unit. Michael reported back to us with the following e-mail:
“Just below Middelberg pass on the R303 outside Citrusdal is a kloof of approx. 60 hectare that had not burnt in living memory. It was thick with suikerbosse, so old that they were starting to die of their own accord and dense scrub that would cause an inferno if it burnt in a summer wind. It was also a tricky site, with a pine plantation to the south, and steep inclines. To avoid the worst of the inevitable unplanned fire, Edrich and Charl suggested a controlled burn in late October. They brought a great team of people (Porterville Working on Fire Team) who made firebreaks across the difficult rocky terrain for two days. On the day of the burn, two of the huge 4×4 fire trucks came to assist with an additional team of firefighters. The wind was northwesterly on the morning, and they patiently burnt a wide firebreak on the south side, and then slowly worked backwards, and by the end of the day, the entire kloof was burnt out. At some point in the afternoon, a gust took a spark across the road and the team put out the quickly spreading fire in a neighbouring landscape that had few firebreaks. We will sleep more peacefully in the summer months for the next few years knowing the areas around this kloof are now safe from a wildfire. Everybody from the Cederberg FPA was amazing in their commitment, and I look forward to using them again in the coming years.”
Brandgereedheid
Lede wat met vakansie gaan, let asb op die volgende voor jy vertrek:
- Jou MOU vorm vir lugondersteuning tydens vure moet voltooi wees en ontvang by admin@cederbergfpa.co.za.
- Jou brandbane moet in plek wees.
- Geen beheerde brande word voortaan toegelaat nie.
- Die verantwoordelike persoon wat waarneem op jou eiendom moet die nodige noodnommers hê indien ’n brand rapporteer moet word.
- Stel personeel, besoekers en die bure in kennis van ‘n ongeluksbrand en versoek onmiddelik hulp.
- Brande moet dadelik rapporteer word by u naaste noodsentrum.
- Brand toerusting moet in ‘n werkende toestand en altyd in gereedheid wees.
- Bestry die brand aggressief, maar wees veilig!
‘n Veilige vuur- en feesseisoen vir almal, bly veilig en gesond!
Die GCBBV span
022 931 2083