AfriForum provides assistance to Kareedouw firefighters

Firefighters have been working since Saturday, 10 February, to bring wildfires in Kareedouw in the Eastern Cape under control. The fire season has hit the Cape provinces particularly hard this year and firefighters are risking their lives to prevent these fires from spreading further.

On 15 February, AfriForum collected, among other things, 100 isotonic soft drinks, 400 bottles of water, biscuits, cookies, chocolate, eye drops, lip balm and other soft drinks and donated them to the Sarah Baartman West Fire Protection Association.

“It was truly incredible to see how quickly our branch and neighbourhood watch members jumped in to make contributions to help the firefighters. It shows the power of community and creates hope to know that we don’t just accept our lot when difficult times come, but that we can do something to help,” says Wikus van der Walt, AfriForum’s District Coordinator for the Eastern Cape.

“Wildfires are very unpredictable and dangerous, and putting out these fires is also a challenge. Firefighters can easily dehydrate and their blood sugar drops faster due to the protective clothing and high temperatures. These firefighters also tend to forget to look after themselves – such as to eat something or drink enough water – because they are so focused on putting out the fires,” says Tarien Cooks, AfriForum’s Disaster Management Specialist.

AfriForum has a guide available that offers tips on how to stay safe during the wildfire season.