Cape Town seasonal fire fighters receive recognition
Cape Town seasonal fire fighters receive recognition
04 May 2018
Published by http://www.fireandrescue.co/
SOUTH AFRICA – The City of Cape Town acknowledged the contribution of seasonal fire fighters with certificates of recognition on 20 April 2018, at an event at the Cape Town Civic Centre. City of Cape Town said, “The city salutes its seasonal fire fighters, who have helped protect life and property this summer.” Awards were presented in acknowledgement of the service provided by the fire fighters. Certificates were awarded to the best in each team in the categories of most improved, outstanding/ leadership, best overall and most promising. A full list is available as a download below. One of the team is 25-year-old Shahieda Sakeldien, a four-time seasonal veteran who shares some of her experiences on the front lines in the video above. Every year, The City of Cape Town’s Fire and Rescue service recruits 120 people as seasonal fire fighters to bolster its fight against vegetation fires between November and April. Last year, nearly 2 000 hopefuls went to the city’s Ndabeni facility to complete a basic fitness assessment, which included a reach test, a 2,4km run, 30 sit-ups within 60 seconds, 30 push-ups within 60 seconds and a 50kg dead-load carry, over 100m.
“I want to congratulate those candidates who persevered and commiserate with those who didn’t make it this time around,” the city’s Safety and Security and Social Services head, JP Smith, said. Out of the 2 000, a total of 846 candidates successfully completed the fitness assessment. Next they will do written and behavioural assessments. The top performers were offered a contract as seasonal fire fighters and started their training on 1 November 2017. “We experience anywhere between 6 000 to 9 000 vegetation fires during summer in Cape Town. Our seasonal recruits are crucial to our efforts to protect lives and property during this very busy period,” Smith said.
Source: City of Cape Town, Bellville- North Seasonal Fire Fighters
