On Wednesday, 04 May 2016, Working on Fire (WoF) joined the global firefighting community in celebrating International Firefighters’ Day during a ceremony held at Kishugu’s Head Office in Nelspruit.

International Fire Fighters’ Day

“On International Fire Fighters’ Day, Working on Fire wishes to recognise the sacrifices that firefighters make,” says Llewellyn Pillay, Managing Director: Working on Fire.

“We want to pay tribute to all the firefighters who have died in the line of duty and also to honour our current firefighters, who are preparing for a perilous winter fire season due to the current drought.”

During the ceremony, the crews from the Nelspruit and Barberton bases of Working on Fire lead the assembly in the singing of the National anthem after which they performed a spectacular drill.

Llewellyn Pillay brought an inspirational message and two of Working on Fire’s employees, Rebecca Ngena and Ryan Christie, prayed a blessing over the firefighters. June Botha, Kishugu HR Generalist, graced the audience with her beautiful singing voice, after which Kishugu CEOs, Chris de Bruno Austin and Johan Heine, unveiled a memorial plaque in honour of all the ground and aerial firefighters who had died in the line of duty.

“Being a firefighter is a thankless job.  Firefighters, whether they fight on the ground or from the sky, risk their lives to protect life, property and the environment. On International Firefighters’ Day we recognise the personal sacrifice these brave men and women make,” said Trevor Wilson, Chief Pilot (Fixed wing) for Kishugu Aviation.

International Firefighters’ Day is annually observed on 04 May. It was instituted on 04 January 1999 after scores of passionate citizens across the world proposed it, following the deaths of five firefighters in tragic circumstances in a wildfire in Australia.

This date is historically a traditional Firefighters’ Day in many European countries, because it is the day of Saint Florian, patron saint of firefighters.