The Cape Winelands District Municipality ‘s (CWDM) Fire Services welcomed Fire Smart Canada on Monday 31 March 2025, for the commencement of a three-day information session. The session marks a significant collaboration between Canadian and South African stakeholders in the domain of wildfire prevention and mitigation.
Fire Smart Canada has a long history in addressing concerns in the wild-land interface. It operates under the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre (CIFFC). The programme is dedicated to enhancing neighbourhood resilience and minimizing the negative impact of fires. While Fire Smart Canada does not work directly with municipalities, it oversees the implementation of its programmes across Canada, collaborating closely with provincial and territorial governments to tailor initiatives to local needs.
Attendees to the sessions included Magda Zachara, Fire Smart, Canada Programme Manager, and Jeff Erwin, Wildland Urban Interface, and Structural Protection Specialist and representatives from the CWDM Fire Services, Cape Nature, Working on Fire, Drakenstein Paarl Fire and Rescue, Western Cape Disaster Management Services, Western Cape Government Health and Safety, and Overstrand Municipality.
The primary objective of these sessions was to share insights about the Fire Smart programme with relevant stakeholders, fostering knowledge exchange on fire safety and mitigation strategies. This exchange provided an invaluable opportunity for South African stakeholders to learn new strategies and explore Canada’s implementation, and vice versa.
The sessions covered the core basics of the Fire Smart programme and its various initiatives, including:
Fire Smart Begins at Home App
Fire Smart 101 and Ambassadors
Advanced Home Assessments Programme
Wildfire Community Preparedness Day
Neighbourhood Recognition Programme
All attendees eagerly absorbed new fire safety and mitigation strategies with great excitement. Mr. Heinrich Louw, Regional Commander of Training (CWDM), expressed his enthusiasm, “Over the past few days, I was eager to deepen my understanding of fire safety and risk assessments, and the insights gained have been truly invaluable.”
The information sessions included site visits such as a visit to Jonkershoek Nature Reserve, where they conducted a home assessment on a vacant property. This firsthand activity allowed participants to apply the knowledge gained and discussions had during the information sessions.
Knowledge-sharing exchanges like these highlight the Cape Winelands District Municipality Fire Services and their partners’ unwavering commitment to continuous improvement, ensuring the highest level of safety for the communities they serve.
