As fire season approaches, there are volunteer heroes training their chops off to keep the Mother City safe!
Cape Town, South Africa (10 October 2025) – On Sunday, the Volunteer Wildfire Services (VWS) crews from all four of their bases came together for a training session in the mountains to prepare for fire season before it hits.
They kicked off with a drive into Baskloof Fynbos Nature Reserve, then ran team-building exercises on Scarborough Beach to build trust, coordination and a good sense of working together collectively. After that, they moved into more serious mop-up exercises and a simulated active fireline to test how they think on their feet under pressure.
The day ended with a debrief at SPS, where the crew enjoyed well-deserved helpings of soup and toasted cheese after a hectic day of training.
These training days become the foundation of work that becomes critical as Cape Town’s fire season approaches.
It’s not a soft challenge. In the Mother City and surrounds, fire season runs roughly from November through May, when hot, dry weather and coastal winds create conditions ripe for wildfires. Even as recently as last month, teams from all corners of Cape Town rallied to successfully contain a fire that had broken out near Camps Bay.
Cape Town’s geography adds fuel to the fire. Urban areas edge directly into fynbos and mountainous terrain. A single spark on a hillside can spread quickly toward homes. Because of that, VWS is often the first line of defence when fires flare up beyond what municipal fire departments can manage alone.
Readiness is a skill that all fire responders need to have, so these training sessions prepare crews for these critical scenarios. And it’s rigorous work. They do physical tests each season, scenario training, hikes, safety drills, and every volunteer must maintain fitness and skill.
Who are these heroic people getting up before dawn to train like this?
VWS is South Africa’s largest volunteer firefighting service, with over 350 volunteers working out of stations in Newlands, South Peninsula, Stellenbosch, and Helderberg.
Their story began almost 25 years ago during the devastating Cape fires of 1999/2000. That sparked the formation of a group that would grow into today’s VWS heroes. Over the years, they’ve clocked over 100,000 firefighting hours across their stations, helping to protect homes, communities, and the landscapes that make up the Western Cape’s wild beauty.
They often partner with Table Mountain National Park, CapeNature, City Fire & Rescue, and others to respond when wildfires threaten.
As always, thank you to the volunteer heroes who put their lives on the line to fight back the flames and keep our cities safe.
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