Dear members, sponsors and friends of the DFW Fire & Rescue Non-Profit driven and Public Benefit registered Company/Organisation.

Enormous Fire Season Challenges

We are facing a very tough fire season, despite our previous efforts and investments to get enough resources and build the right vehicles and pumps, and train enough firefighters, which turned out to be right.

We are experiencing the most expensive fire season ever, with 22,000 hectares already lost in our area and great damage to buildings, businesses, and wildlife. The local authorities are asking the National Government to declare a state of emergency and provide extra funding. In this situation, we hope everyone appreciates being able to use the resources and response capabilities of the Paarl Based Private DFW Fire & Rescue NPC.

Over the past 4 months, the DFW NPC has already spent an additional R 1,460,000 to prevent disasters in our area. Our first responders have handled hundreds of initial fires, sometimes with the help of the authorities. Our specially rebuilt 4×4 tanker/pumper trucks with designed water cannon bays and our 18,000-liter combined trucks have been extremely effective in firefighting.

We believe in responding as quickly and as forcefully as possible to suppress fires, even though it’s expensive. The success lies in what has been saved and prevented, not just in the firefight itself.

Now we are facing a major financial problem as we often need to stop fires in areas that are not members of our group and have no insurance. This puts a huge strain on our resources.

When we started the DFW Fire response group NPC in 2017, we chose a funding option that includes a low monthly fee and a performance fee for fire suppression. Our efforts to get the Municipality or district on board have been unsuccessful.

We have upgraded our fleet and capabilities each year, investing heavily in training and equipment. To tap into insurance payouts, we need to offer a cutting-edge solution and perfect performance, reducing insurance costs.

We now frequently encounter situations where members call for assistance, but do not have insurance or the right cover in place. This is especially costly for field and forest fires on farms.

We have requested assistance from the authorities, as often we fight fires before they reach our clients, but nobody picks up the tab for that.

It’s concerning to see how few members have firefighting equipment in place. We are running on financial fumes and have asked for financial assistance many times on social media.

We have fought hundreds of successful fires but need everyone on board to keep our community safe, including the local fire brigade management. We hope those who have been served by our DFW teams will pay their bill and forward the claim to insurers.

For those who need to pay income tax, any donation to the DFW can be deducted from your tax amount.

Let’s remain vigilant, as the fire season is not over, and we need everyone’s help to make it work.

Daan van Leeuwen Boomkamp
General commander DFW NPC
Chairperson of the Board

Despite the relentless efforts of the DFW Fire & Rescue NPC in Paarl, we continue to face a daunting challenge without the much-needed financial support.

Our dedicated team, armed with an impressive fleet of 4×4 heavy-duty fire trucks and cruisers, has been battling multiple fires daily for months, day and night, leveraging our reengineered water bowsers and potent water cannons to unleash a massive 6-9000 litre water over a large distance, killing most fires in the bud.

Despite our best efforts, we have yet to receive the any crucial financial aid by the authorities required to sustain our tireless firefighting endeavours even on non DFW member lands.

It is disheartening to see the lack of recognition and support from local authorities, despite our numerous appeals for collaboration and communication. Even as we face another major catastrophe on the horizon, ( and we already saw a lot ) we urge all capable individuals to prepare themselves for the (un)expected.

Over the past four months, our highly mechanized and well-trained private group has spent an additional 1.36 million rand on pro bono firefighting to safeguard our areas from devastating incidents. We are now in urgent need of funds for fuel, equipment repairs, protective gear, and more.

Despite the commendable efforts of municipal and district fire brigades, we must never rely solely on the authorities for our security and fire safety.

The recent destructive fires serve as a stark warning, what happens if the authorities wait too long with a full response or with the right equipment or simply do not have the correct pre-warning mechanism in place, and we implore the community, business and landowners, to join us in this crucial fight.

DFW Fire & Rescue NPC seeks your support as we strive to build the strongest non profit driven firefighting force to protect our area and its residents.

Your additional assistance will enable us to continue our vital mission and ensure the safety and well-being of our community.

Website: www.dfwfireandrescue.com

Email: drakensteinfw@gmail.com

Office: 0847528120