Home » Girl Power: Fighting Fires on Top of Table Mountain for 18 Hours Straight!

Girl Power: Fighting Fires on Top of Table Mountain for 18 Hours Straight!

There is no one hero in the South African firefighting services. And if there were it would be each one of them. Because it’s together that they succeed. It’s because these special people know how to work as a team that they each work so well. The fires they fight may soar and blaze, but […]

By Jenni Baxter
16-10-17 19:12
in Eish!

There is no one hero in the South African firefighting services. And if there were it would be each one of them. Because it’s together that they succeed. It’s because these special people know how to work as a team that they each work so well.

Kelly Vlieghe. Photo by Andrew Hagen

The fires they fight may soar and blaze, but their egos don’t. These are dedicated South Africans answering a calling.

So we are not singling out Kelly Vlieghe because she is more special than any of the others at Volunteer Wildfire Services (VWS)… but because she is as extraordinarily special as each one of them. And sometimes when we focus on one, we can remember all.

Kelly is 29, and while most of us were out celebrating the end of the week on Friday, Kelly was deployed as VWS Crew Leader to the very top of Table Mountain to fight the head of the 12 Apostles Fire that raged unrelentingly for days.

Photographer Andrew Hagen captured the above photo of Kelly as she headed up into the harsh conditions.

Eighteen hours later Kelly and crew were stood down, just after midnight!

Kelly is a volunteer with the VWS as not only a firefighter, but also a crew leader, a driver and she assists with planning behind the scenes. She is also the Training Manager of the VWS Newlands station. All are volunteer positions.

Fighting fires is what Kelly does in her spare time. To earn a living, she has a Doctorate in Zoology and is currently involved with other entomological research.

Like many, Kelly says she joined VWS because: “I wanted a new personal challenge and the chance to build myself with new skills and experiences. I also wanted to meet new like-minded people and make a positive difference for both the community and environment.”

#ThankYouKelly #ThankYouToALLTheFireFighters #MakingAPositiveDifference #SpecialSouthAfricans

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Thank you also to those who donated and supported the firefighters: