Whether a fire breaks out on a hilly mountain top, a suburb or a township, they are the ones running toward the disaster . . . offering a helping hand to those in need.
As International Firefighters Day was celebrated on Thursday 4 May, People’s Post caught up with the men and women at the front line.
Frank Forbay, South District divisional commander at Lakeside Fire Station, has been in the industry for 30 years. He says his passion and dream to be a fireman started at the age of six.
“I saw my very first fire engine when I walked past the Wynberg Fire Station and I was probably six years old. At the time, I didn’t know what this thing was.
“Growing up in Mitchell’s Plain, I lived close to the fire station and always thought this was something that I could do and it is something that I grew to love.”
He adds: “As a firefighter, you develop a love for community, a love for people and a sense of wanting to help, so that is the heart of being a firefighter. If you haven’t got that, then you shouldn’t be in this field.”
Firefighters work a 24-hour shift starting from 09:00 in the morning to 09:00 the following morning with 11 firefighters on duty on every given day.
Amesha Bachan, a female operational firefighter from Ottery, says what started as a holiday job turned into something she fell in love with.
“It is quite ironic. I am supervising the seasonal firefighters at the moment, so they only attend to vegetation and mountain fires and that is how I started 15 years ago.
“It was just supposed to be a holiday job. I was studying at the time and then I genuinely fell in love with it. I had to lie to my dad about applying for the job and my dad only found out the day I became permanent,” she smiles.
As a woman in the industry, there are a few challenges along the way, she adds.
“At the end of the day, we get paid the same salary, so we are expected to do the same work which we do but obviously there are different things that females go through which men don’t.
“But we have been welcomed and it’s over 30 years that women have been introduced to the fire service.
“So many of the females before me, paved the way and we still have a lot of work to do.
“There is still a lot of acceptance that needs to happen within mindsets and changing mindsets. I think we need to prove ourselves more but it is worth it at the end of the day.”
What she loves about being a firefighter is a combination of a love for community, a work environment that feels like “family” and doing something exciting.
“Most importantly, the family environment that we have at work. I don’t think you would get it in a lot of places.
“In our environment, you are forced to learn to trust each other. We need to know each other because that is how trust is built and every day is different, no two days are the same. It’s exciting, it is exhilarating, you don’t know what to expect but you prepare yourself for the worse all the time.
“The love of the community, as cheesy as it sounds. The way they welcome us a lot of the times, sometimes it is not that great which is understandable and does make our job challenging, but it is a selfless job.”
Advice to other women interested in joining the fire services is to “put your best foot forward” at all times and be “teachable”.
“Be willing to expose yourself and remember short-term sacrifices lead to long-term rewards. Do your best, and fitness is of utmost importance. Understand the requirements of the job and understand what it takes to equip yourself with the necessary skills and training to get there.”
Shane Joemath from Strandfontein village has for the first time joined the seasonal firefighters.
“This is my first year trying it and my ambition is to be a permanent firefighter, so I thought why not try it out for the season.”
Joemath says he wants to be a firefighter to help people and everything has been exciting so far.
Andiswa Ngxongwana, a mother from Masiphumelele who previously worked in retail, knows first-hand how it feels with regular fire incidents close to home.
“For me, coming from a place like Masi where every three months there is a fire and to see people struggling, I was also part of that.
“My shack also burned. I think that is where I started being interested in being a firefighter, to see the firefighters when they are there and helping.
“I started to exercise because my body was very big and I started to lose weight because I know you have to be fit.
“It is very exciting.”
