Firefighters from the Department of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries’ Working on Fire teams in the Eastern Cape will undergo their annual Yellow Card Training (YCT) in Lottering from 12 to 20 October. Yellow Card training is designed to refresh firefighters’ skills and test their physical and mental fitness. It is also done to make sure that teams are ready for the upcoming summer fire season from December 2020 to April 2021.
Teams attending this training are Tsitsikamma, Witelsbos, Longmore, Sarah Baartman, Addo, Baviaanskloof, Lottering, Kromsriver, St Francis and Baviasnkloof West.
The training activities will include a 10km route march, line construction, firewall (passing through fire), PPC inspections, tool inspection, lectures and a fitness test.
The fitness test includes a 2.4km run (in under 12 minutes for men and under 14 minutes for women), and in under one minute for each set, 40 push-ups; 8 pull-ups and 40 sit-ups.
Firefighters will be assessed on their knowledge of fire behaviours and watch-outs, fire-line safety principles and fire-line equipment and its use.
These young men and women have been working hard in the past assisting partners such as Eastern Cape Parks Tourism and Agency(ECPTA), Eastern Cape Umbrella FPA, Amathole Forestry Company (AFC), local fire authorities in suppressing fires.
- Copy supplied by Working on Fire
