Thirty-Two Firefighters from across the Province Graduate
“The objective of the Cape Winelands Firefighting Training programme goes beyond imparting skills; it is about shaping lives and making a profound impact on our communities,” proclaimed the Executive Mayor of the Cape Winelands District Municipality, Elna von Schlicht, during the graduation ceremony of the Spring class of 2023 held at the CWDM’s Firefighter Training Academy in Stellenbosch today.
“This year alone, our training academy has trained 220 students and the Cape Winelands District Municipality approved R80 million for Fire Services in this financial year,” Von Schlicht continued.
The Spring Class of 2023 included thirty-two (32) firefighters that successfully completed the Firefighter 1 course, of which twenty-eight (28) completed the additional Hazmat Awareness and Operations courses. These dedicated firefighters, representing various regions, including the South African Navy, Cape Winelands District, Langeberg, Swartland, Beaufort Wes, Bergrivier, Stellenbosch, Cederberg, and Overberg Municipalities, underwent an intense 12-week training program to qualify.
Notably, three of the graduates were female students from Langeberg, Stellenbosch, and Swartland Municipality. “It was tough, tougher than I expected but standing here today, it was worth it. You should always just stay resilient,” said Jamie Maart, female firefighter from Stellenbosch Municipality.
The training program covered both theoretical and practical aspects, with the physical component often proving to be the most demanding. Despite being an exceptional group of new firefighters, a few students stood out and received awards as the top students of the course. Dylan Williams emerged as the Best Theoretical student in Hazmat Operations, while Niven Langdown earned the title of Best Practical student for the same course. In the Firefighter 1 course, Sean Gordon secured the title of Best Theoretical student, and Nivaan Rambaran was named the Best Practical student. Randall Sophe’s commendable efforts in the Hazmat Awareness course were also recognized. Furthermore, Jamie Maart received recognition as the Most Disciplined student, Jacean Klaase as the Most Improved student, and Nivaan Rambaran as the overall Student of the Course.
With great thanks to the Cape Winelands Fire Services Academy and Heinrich Louw, (Regional Commander: Training) Nivaan Rambaran spoke with great hope for his future after the graduation.
“I have gained great knowledge and skills during this experience and I am grateful especially for the guidance received from all instructors. I look forward to implementing all I have learned and making them proud.”
The ceremony featured an impressive motorcade parade, goosebump-worthy drill demonstrations and the official christening of the new Incident Command (IC) bus.
The CWDM proudly welcomed their state-of-the-art, custom-designed mobile IC bus in July. Employees were given the opportunity of naming the vehicle and after much deliberation she was officially christened “Lady Sentinel” during the passing out parade. The definition of the term, sentinel is reflective of guardian or protector, symbolizing someone who watches over and stands guard. This perfectly encapsulates the function of the mobile incident command bus. “Lady Sentinel” will facilitate the CWDM, its partners, and other stakeholders to converge in an easily accessible vehicle, allowing them to efficiently predict, plan, and initiate mitigation actions in response to major incidents that threaten the community and property.
The Mayor left the graduates with these words, “To the Spring Class of 2023, congratulations on your achievement. Your bravery and dedication to service are commendable. As you step into the roles of firefighters, know that you play a crucial part in ensuring the safety and resilience of our communities.”
