From page 12
and time so that they, too,
can be prepared.
K Ensuring that you, your
family and staff are prepared
for, and trained, to fight any
fire that may occur, or pass
through, your property, and
that you have sufficient
suitable equipment available
with which to fight such fires.
There is no stipulation as to
what that equipment should
be, except that it should be
reasonably suitable for the
anticipated task at hand.
Clearly, therefore, what you
buy or make as firefighting
equipment will be dictated
to a great extent by the
terrain and vegetation on
your property, as well as by
its size. Thus, if your property
is small and barren, a couple
of hand-held firebeaters may
FIRE SEASON
be sufficient, while a heavily
vegetated property on a steep
hillside will require robust
powered water sprayers,
backpack sprayers, and/or
powerful blowers.
K If a fire occurs on a
neighbouring property it is
your legal responsibility to
take part in combating it, and
you have the legal right and
duty to enter your neighbour's
premises for the purpose of
saving livestock and property.
It also helps to understand the
physical characteristics of fire,
ie what fire is and how it
burns. This will help you to
understand the need for good
fire prevention measures, as
well as how best to fight fires
when they occur.
Remember that, by the time a
fire occurs, usually in winter
when the grass has been
dried out by successive days
of sunshine followed by nights
of freezing, it is too late to be
QUIRKY
Advice from an old farmer
Your fences need to be horsehigh, pig-tight and bullstrong.
Keep skunks and bankers at a
distance.
Life is simpler when you
plough around the stump.
A bumble bee is considerably
faster than a John Deere
tractor.
Words that soak into your
ears are whispered… not
yelled.
Meanness don't jes' happen
overnight.
Forgive your enemies - it
messes up their heads.
Do not corner something that
you know is meaner than
you.
It don't take a very big person
to carry a grudge.
You cannot unsay a cruel
word.
Every path has a few puddles.
When you wallow with pigs,
expect to get dirty.
The best sermons are lived,
not preached.
Most of the stuff people
worry about ain't never gonna
happen anyway.
13
www.sasmallholder.co.za
thinking about prevention
and the key, therefore, is in
preparation for fires before
the start of the worst part of
the fire season, ie now.
Remember, also, that good
fire prevention measures are
necessary not only because of
the law, but to protect your
farm or plot infrastructure,
such as fencing, pipework,
pumps, cabling, implements
etc.