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Pringle Bay is surrounded by a beautiful natural environment which makes it a high risk area for wild fires. Betty’s Bay, Rooi Els and Pringle Bay were the first Firewise communities selected in South Africa.
Residents and visitors need to be aware of the important do’s and don’ts regarding fire prevention and fire preparedness. The community has a joint responsibility to do everything it can to protect our village and surrounds from fire danger and to diminish the impacts, should a fire occur.
Various bodies, e.g. Western Cape Government and Cape Nature, publish valuable information to help educate the public in this regard. As more material becomes available, this site will be updated. Click on the images below to view, download or print any of the informative documents.
In case of a fire in your home, or on your property, or in the surrounding area, the number to call is: 028 313 8980
This is the Overstrand Fire and Rescue control room which is manned 24×7. They immediately dispatch our local volunteer fire team, along with other resources, and they oversee the operation.
In 1994 a group of Pringle Bay residents got together and came to the conclusion that the town was in need of a proper fire team. At that time we only had access to a trailer with very limited water capacity, which was insufficient for the growing town. The team was kicked off by Richard Smeda, a retired fire officer living in Pringle Bay. Very soon afterwards Clayton Francis took over as chief of our volunteer firefighter team, and he still runs the team today.
Initially, the team consisted of permanent residents of Pringle Bay, mainly retirees, as they were available 24/7. The laws have since changed and volunteers are now required to retire from the team at age 60. This has led to younger volunteers from Pringle Bay and Betty’s Bay boosting the team. Fortunately, the majority of them work locally and can respond quickly. The team is currently eight-strong of which two people manage the logistics.
The team exists so that it can act as first responder and first line of defence while awaiting the fire trucks from Kleinmond, or from Hermanus or City of Cape Town for fires raging over a big area. This local rapid response capability leads to less damage to property and vegetation.
The team undergoes training provided by the permanent staff of Hermanus (under the auspices of the Operational Officer) but most of the team’s training is conducted in-house, using our own equipment to build confidence in the use thereof. At the moment we have a 4×4 Unimog fire truck with a water capacity of 2200 litres. The veld fires are tackled using 25mm by 30m hoses, and for house fires we use 38/45mm by 30m hoses. Plans are afoot to source a second firefighting vehicle as backup.
The team’s priority is to protect Pringle Bay and surrounding areas in the event of a fire, but it has also responded to fires as far afield as Hermanus, Hawston, Kleinmond and Gansbaai, when called upon.
Our fire chief is appealing to all to play a part in supporting the Volunteer Fire Service. If there is a fire hydrant near your property which is obstructed or neglected, please take steps to clear away surrounding vegetation. About a meter all round is ideal. The hydrants are painted a bright yellow.
Your small ongoing effort may just make the difference in an emergency when firefighters need quick and easy access to a hydrant.
To locate your nearest fire hydrant, have a look at the map: the black dots show all the fire hydrants in Pringle Bay.
Thank you for your support!
Feel free to contact Clayton Francis on 072 129 9788 should you have any questions.
For more on our Pringle Bay Volunteer Firefighters visit their Facebook page:
The Pringle Bay Firefighters have been very busy the last couple of years with the increase in wild fires, such as the Pringle Bay February 2017 and the devastating Pringle Bay and Betty’s Bay fires of January 2019.
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