With more than 30 years of firefighting service experience, Vanessa Rossouw has been stepping into her role as head of the Ngwathe Fire and Rescue Service since the beginning of the year. The Free State native spent the past approximately 15 years as a divisional officer in Sasol’s fire engineering division.

Her vision, she says, is to  deliver a professional, functional and service-oriented fire service to the community — one where any member of the public can confidently seek assistance for fire and rescue emergencies.

Vanessa grew up in Bloemfontein and was one of the first women to be appointed to the Bloemfontein Fire Department. She served there for more than 11 years, including seven years as a station officer. She was involved in training for five years before leaving her hometown in 2007 to take up a position at Sasol as a senior station officer in operations.

She later became a divisional officer — first at Sasol Operations and then in Sasol’s engineering division — where she was involved in fire prevention and law enforcement.

Although the Ngwathe Fire Service in Parys faces major challenges, serving five towns (with the exception of Heilbron, which has a limited fire service), as well as limited and insufficient equipment and vehicles, Vanessa says she is ready for the challenge alongside her right-hand colleague Maggie Mokwane and their team.

Maggie was appointed as station officer on 1 December, and she and Vanessa share valuable knowledge and experience in firefighting and emergency services. Maggie has been with the Parys fire service for 21 years, having started working for the municipality in 1997. She first worked as a clerk, later as a library assistant in Koppies, and then as a supervisor at the municipality’s sewage treatment plant in Koppies. In 2005, she was appointed to the municipal fire service.

Vanessa holds a B.Tech in Fire Technology and an Ambulance Emergency Care Assistant Diploma, and has completed various relevant courses. Maggie holds an ambulance assistant certificate, an NQF Level 4 qualification as a firefighter, and Hazmat awareness and operational qualifications. She also has a SAMTRAC Safety Management NQF Level 5 certificate and is currently studying toward her National Diploma in Fire Technology.

Both women believe that knowledge brings credibility to the service you deliver.

“Our hearts are in the fire service,” they say.

The Ngwathe Fire and Rescue Service can be contacted on 

082 909 3464 or

067 424 2372