Fire Prevention Preparation!

We started our new course, Game Ranger, and the first project that we did was to prepare the veld around the chalets and private houses to prevent fires to reach it and also fire breaks to get it under control and stop it.

It takes a lot of planning, which the second year students had to prepare. They gave us a briefing on what was expected and had to be done, what tools we were going to have to work with, most importantly the time that we had to get it all done.

The had a variety of tools that we took along; brush cutters and petrol, axes, saws, forks, rakes and pangas. We received gloves and we took the first aid kit with for in case someone got hurt. We also took a lot of water with to drink.

Each morning, the two weeks we were working in the veld, we all worked together getting all the tools ready, making sure everything is there and working correctly. Each of us had a turn to make a list of all the tools that we took and the amount of each one, this is important because it helps prevent it from getting lost and saving money. We then headed out to the veld and started working.

The first few days was a bit confusing, mostly because no one knew exactly what was needed to be done but we eventually got the hang of it. Tractors with slashers made pathways and we had to take out small trees and bushes and needed to clean all around the big trees, removing branches that was hanging low to the ground.

It was hard work and very cold some mornings which made it difficult to work but we pulled thru and thinking back it was fun working with everyone, although there was some tension sometimes, we supported each other and it made working easier and more fun.