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MOSSEL BAY NEWS AND VIDEO - Another first for fire services Mossel Bay Fire, Rescue, and Disaster Management took delivery of a nine-metre semi-rigid rubber duck on Monday, 11 December, which will serve as a marine firefighting platform and as a vessel for inland and offshore water rescue.
The vessel, a first to be implemented in the fire service not only in the Western Cape but also in South Africa, will be used to ensure a rapid response to marine and aircraft fire incidents at sea, including emergency aircraft landings in the bay at Santos as per the Airports Company South Africa (ACSA) emergency plan.
It was deemed a necessary addition to Mossel Bay Fire, Rescue, and Disaster Management due to the present lack of firefighting capacity related to emergency service delivery in Mossel Bay Municipality in the marine environment. The vessel was co-funded through the Western Cape Fire Service Capacity Building Grant.
This grant supports municipalities in establishing and maintaining functional and compliant fire services that can be measured against national benchmarks and standards.
The grant aims to provide financial assistance to municipalities to ensure functional emergency communication, mobilisation systems, and fire services.
A contribution of R824 000 was made by Western Cape Local Government towards the project. The boat was built by MAKO Marine Africa, in Maitland, Cape Town.
It can hold nine crew members and has two 115Hp Suzuki motors. In May this year, Mossel Bay Fire, Rescue, and Disaster Management Services became the first fire station in the Western Cape to acquire the latest version of Lukas E3 eDraulic rescue equipment.
The equipment, used in instances of entrapment, represents a major upgrade in technology compared to the traditional, older hydraulic rescue equipment.
Video - Rescue rubber duck for Mossel Bay Fire services:
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