Fire Breaks On Sondela

Fire Breaks

We started 31 may 2010 with the fire breaks here on Sondela. At first we were briefed about what we were going to do and what was expected of us by the second years who did all the planning!

The first day in the field was quite confusing seeing that none of us have done this before but we learned fast and in no time we were on the ball with the fire breaks.

A list of all the equipment that was used in our mission:
1)Big trackter with slasher
2)small trackter with slasher
3)long axe
4)short axe
5)panga's
6)long forks
7)saw
8)brush cutters ( string, 3blade and sekelbos cutter)

Between all the students all of us have worked with everything but the trackters.

WHAT WE HAVE LEARNED IN THIS PROJECT

Fire Breaks are real important on any farm no matter how big or how small it is the season of fire now and everyone needs to prepare! When a fire arrises on your farm and you have not done the nessesary planning and preperation on your farm you will most sertanly lose your farm to that fire, but when doing the nessesary planning and preperations like we did on Sondela now you would stand a change of saving your farm and fighting the fire. The fire breaks will not stop the fire i repead WILL NOT stop the fire but atleast you have a space to go into and fight the fire and know that you stand a change of winning and have I mentioned the safety risk of NOT having fire breaks and sending your people in there to fight the fire! When you as a farm owner have fire breaks on your farm you are not just protecting your farm but also your workers when you are a farm owner and NOT have fire breaks you are carrying the risk of loosing your farm and most sertanly some of your workers going in to fight that fire! The fire law states that your fire break must be atleast 7m but here on Sondela we added another 10m to that number which brought us down to 17m breaks all around our houses and chalets so for our staff and students and everyone helping when a fire breaks loose it will be safe to go in and fight the fire, but PLEASE remember nothing is never safe in a fire the wind changes and then the fire changes so always be aware of your fire!

The funny part of farm owners is that they never or almost never think about the animals they have on there farms. farmers always just hope that animals will survive but truly that is bull dust for me I think that there must be a plan in place for protecting your animals that you have on your farm!

HOW DID WE GO ABOUT

The big trackter game in first and then the smaller trackter leaving all of us with the grasses underneath the trees and every where the trackters could't come in. The guys with the brushcutters went in after the tractkters to clear out underneath the trees and then the rest came in and took of all dead branches and branches to close to ground which will be a potential hazard in the case of a fire.