Bushfire, Northern Ghana. Image © Wikimedia Commons

There are four areas in fire prevention where each and every company must pay more attention.

Tips by Ben Bothma, KLF

• Fire awareness campaigns. These do not get the attention they deserve. Companies must still do more – especially outside of the fire season.
• All forestry companies provide training, but do they train and follow-up enough? Think of the military: How much time and money do gener als spend planning for an attack? How many times do they do field exercises in preparation for an attack? Do companies not train their staff once ... maybe twice, and hope that the individual will remember what they learnt forever?
• Fuel load reduction is very necessary to prevent wild, uncontrollable fires. Without fuel on the ground, a fire cannot burn. It is unre alistic not to have fuel, but if it is kept under eight tons per ha, fires will be controllable.
• The development of a fire hazard rating system will make it possible to draw up a more inte grated fire management plan, and that will help you to spend money/resources where it is needed most before the fire season.

Published in March/April 2009