Firefighters get a hero’s welcome

MBOMBELA – The second group of South African firefighters which assisted in fighting wildfires in two Canadian provinces, arrived back home on Tuesday.

Fourteen Lowvelders were among the 48 South African employees of Working on Fire (WoF) who spent almost two months in Canada fighting “underground” fires.

Five of them received a warm and jovial welcome on Friday.

Messrs Mbongeni Mazibuko, Sibusiso Leyane, Sicelo Nkambule, Eudance Thethe, Themba Zimu, Jabulane Mabuza, Ms Gugu Mnisi, Mr Mbongeni Mothipe and Mr Sphamandla Nkosi arrived home on Tuesday.

“We learnt so much from this trip, not just from our international colleagues but also from one another and how to work as a team,” said Thethe.

We thought it would be easier than it was. We are used to grass fires, but these were underground, some were up to four metres under the surface. However, as we learnt to adapt to the new environment and terrain, it became easier.

The team joined firefighters from Australia, New Zealand, Mexico and the United States to manage infernos in Alberta and British Colombia.

These regions are rich in oil and falling trees were prevalent.

“We constantly needed to be aware of safety. After all, our safety was still our number-one priority. We were constantly running up and down the mountains in full kit, so we ended up drinking about five litres of water every day. The Canadians, especially, gave us plenty of mineral water and we ate healthily. We had to because our shifts were sometimes up to 12 hours long.”

However, it was their positive attitude, tenacity and eloquent techniques which made them popular among all their international colleagues.

“They did love us because we sang and danced for them. One thing that really stood out about the Canadians’ attitude was their accepting nature. We could walk around freely and not once were we judged because of our skin colour.”