Fighting fire with unity and goodwill
Issued by Oakhurst Insurance Since 22 October, Fire and Emergency services personnel have been furiously fighting raging fires in the Garden Route region with the immediate risk to the town of George itself being contained. A Disaster Management Centre was set up almost immediately in the heart of George to coordinate the combined efforts of the 579 people who have joined from around the country to fight the fires.
The George-based insurance company Oakhurst Insurance, who has actively supported local firefighters in the past, jumped at the opportunity to do so again.
Oakhurst’s managing executive, Peter Grindlay, has been on the ground with firefighting personnel and met with the head of Disaster Management, Gerhard Otto, at the Garden Route Municipality along with various other emergency services teams to support where possible.
“If there’s something about the George fire experience that I’ve learned after the past few days, it’s that firefighting is about team work, being on the ground at the coal face, strategic decision making, community support and the coordinated efforts of everyone involved in the face of imminent disaster. But more than that, what I witnessed was that we as a town are in exceptionally capable hands with our local emergency services, and that we owe these heroes a massive debt of gratitude for how they have managed what could have been an absolute disaster.”
There’s a belief among firefighters that it takes an entire community to fight a fire. This has certainly been the case, with the local community indirectly playing a major role in keeping the fires at bay by providing our fire and emergency services teams with continued support. From individuals to business owners, the donations of food, drink and accommodation along with words of praise have been overwhelming.