By Bridget Andrea Johnsen | Project Leader
Sometimes we wonder why we do what we do?? This report is late... in no small part due to the emergency and follow-up we experienced before and since New Year 2024. All celebrations had to be curtailed in favour of REAL fireworks....a raging wildfire that tore through some 3000 ha ...75% of the Paardeberg, to be precise, starting on 27 December 2023 and challenging our every capability for a full 12 days in the first weeks of 2024!!
When PSI Projects was established in the Paardeberg some 20 years ago, we knew we would particpate in some BIG fires. This is because Fynbos is a fire-dependent veld-type, and MUST burn every 10-25 years to maintain a healthy ecosystem. So we asked around what farmers need to do to insure their properties for damage from fire.
The first requirement was that local citizens create a Fire Protection Association.... a challenge which PSI Projects tackled head-on. This involved creating a plan of action to prevent and manage wildfires, including local landusers, insurance companies, stakeholders, West Coast and Winelands District Munici[palties, Swartland and Drakenstein local Municipalities and the Cape Town Metro. At times we dealt with up to 24 officials in a single meeting. The Paardebrg FPA was established after some 3 years of effort, and attracted members eventually from all over. Being a small FPA was unsustainable, and Climate Change threats demanded our eventual amalgamation with the Greater Cederberg FPA.... which assisted HUGELY when we experienced our first big fire as PSI Projects in 2011. Many local landusers told us afterwards that this was the best managed fire they had experienced in the previous 30 years, in no small part due to wonderful improvements related to South Africa's hosting of the Soccer World Cup in 2010.
The next chapter in our community fire-preparedness commenced when PSI Projects secured state funding in 2013, to tackle erosion in the pending rain season, to control the massive emergence of alien vegetation, and to establish strategic firebreaks for management of future wildfires. All these activities remain as part of our mandate to this day, and fior which we are so grateful for your support. The Fire Management Business Plan of the Paardeberg Unit of the Greater Cederberg FPA was completed and signed during these years, ....it is attached below. Exemption from Firebreaks on Paardeberg mountain (inorder to ensure its best conservation) was consequently successfully obtained by the GCFPA from Dept of Environment, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (DEAFF) in late 2023 ...just in time!! See further attachments below.
The nett result of all the effort of PSI Projects, was that WHEN the wildfire of 2024 arrived, all legislated requirements to summon the assistance of private firefighting and aerial support had been met, for those landowners who had secured Extension Of Fire Cover Insurance. PSI Projects knows of at least three such claims which were settled, covering the costs of helicopters, ground teams, etc well over R2M.
PSI Projects convened a local community meeting just after the fire, for fire authorities to debrief the community and to galvanise support for further alien vegetation control, strategic firebreak intallation and erosion management in the coming rain season. Agenda attached below ... minutes to follow and more of that meeting in our next report. PSI Projects undertook to commission a full Burn Report from specialist group MAPPS, for community use in claims, disputes, issues around fire spread, etc. See attached document.
With appreciation to you, our special donors, PSI Projects continues to support the local community in advocacy, education, law abidance and co-operation with stakeholders to succcessfully ameliorate the impacts of Climate Change and the natural disasters we will be facing in future. Heartfelt apprecaition remains the order of the day. Thank you, again and again.
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