Urhwebo e-Transand grades emergency airstrip

George Fire Chief Neels Barnard had high praise and special thanks for Urhwebo e-Transand who recently graded and levelled the landing strip at the Denneoord Emergency Airbase at no cost to the municipality. The emergency airbase which was established in 2017 remains the Garden Route’s first dedicated emergency firefighting airstrip on municipal property.

Caption: Seen here standing on the newly levelled landing strip are from left, Lemar Meyer (Urhwebo e-Transand), Chief Fire Officer Neels Barnard, Sandisile Linton (Urhwebo e-Transand), Brandon van Rensburg (Urhwebo e-Transand) and Louw van de Merwe (Kishugu Pilot)

The airbase a collaborative project between George Municipality, Southern Cape Fire Protection Association, Working on Fire and Garden Route District Municipality has meant that firefighting planes can respond much faster than they would have been able if they were stationed at a commercial airport where they would have had to wait in line for a runway along with other aircraft. This is especially applicable during the summer fire season which coincides with the very busy holiday season when thousands of flights are scheduled at commercial airports.

Three fixed wing spotters, two fixed wing bombers and a chopper are stationed at the base during the fire season, and usually at least one plane and a chopper out of season. Municipalities in the Garden Route district use the facility on a call-out basis as services are required. The airbase consists of a runway, helipad, firebase, hangars, taxiways, and a water refilling point.