City firefighters win over little hearts

04 May 2023

The City of Cape Town's Fire & Rescue Service welcomed young and old to their fire stations earlier today to celebrate International Firefighter's Day.

The City of Cape Town's Fire & Rescue Service welcomed young and old to their fire stations earlier today to celebrate International Firefighter's Day.

The open day attracted hundreds of little ones and their parents and caregivers to the stations where they could learn more about the service and what they do.

Mayoral Committee Member for Safety and Security, Alderman JP Smith, joined firefighters at the Goodwood fire station where the men and women in uniform went through their paces.

'It is heartening to see so many of our youngest residents interested in the Fire & Rescue Service. They can see first-hand what it takes to run into a dangerous situation to save lives and property,' said Alderman Smith. 

Two-year-old Izrael Post of Blouberg Strand wore his own firefighter outfit. Here he celebrates in one of the trucks with Alderman Smith.

1 of 3

During the past summer season, the Service was augmented by 111 seasonal firefighters who assisted in combatting wildfires and enabling the Service to respond to 7 409 vegetation fires between November 2022 and April 2023.

This does not include the thousands of emergency calls to which the Fire & Rescue Service responds throughout the year. Between 1 May 2022 and 28 April 2023, they responded to 22 506 calls and while most of these calls are fire-related, 3 613 were motor vehicle accidents, 1 104 incidents were assault and many others were medical emergencies.

In addition, the fleet has been bulked up and the Service now boasts 72 fire engines, 28 water tankers, 28 skid units, 17 rescue and 10 aerial vehicles.

Published by:
City of Cape Town, Media Office