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19 September 2025
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Featured FRI Magazine article: So, who is responsible for managing veldfires (wildfires) in the urban interface? Part two by Zane Erasmus
Previous wildfire incidents need to be researched in order to establish a fire database
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Marloth Nature Reserve Photo: Ben Swanepoel
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https://www.frimedia.org/uploads/1/2/2/7/122743954/fri_vol_3_no_8.pdf
This week’s featured Fire and Rescue International magazine article is: So, who is responsible for managing veldfires (wildfires) in the urban interface? Part two written by Zane Erasmus, independent environmental consultant (FRI Vol 3 no 8). We will be sharing more technical/research/tactical articles from Fire and Rescue International magazine on a weekly basis with our readers to assist in technology transfer. This will hopefully create an increased awareness, providing you with hands-on advice and guidance. All our magazines are available free of charge in PDF format on our website and online at ISSUU. We also provide all technical articles as a free download in our article archive on our website.
So, who is responsible for managing veldfires (wildfires) in the urban interface? Part two
By Zane Erasmus, independent environmental consultant
In this second instalment of the four part series of articles by Zane Erasmus, he looks at, ‘How do integrated veldfire management plans for the urban interface differ from others?’
Integrated veldfire management plans (IVMP) will vary significantly based on the type of veldfire urban interface (VUI) that has to be managed. Obviously, an IVMP drafted for a single picnic area within a vast National Park in a Savannah habitat, ie a rural urban interface, will vary quite significantly from that drawn up for a metropolitan area interface. The important thing is that the type of VUI to be managed should be identified and mapped so that the activities, communities and required budgets can be clearly recognised by all role players.
IVMPs though, will not change in general structure but should all contain the same basic content. The IVMP is in essence a compilation of separate plans written in the following sequence: Fire prevention plan, fire protection plan, and fire suppression plans. This is no different from the fire management plans drawn up for most veld and forest fire situations. The most critical consideration, however, is that due consideration has to be taken of the communities of people and building structures that are present within the VUI. These aspects, when seen in the veldfire management context, require very specific attention. Some of these are discussed in the following plans starting with the fire protection plan.
Fire prevention
As is often quoted, ‘prevention is better than cure’ and nowhere is this more true than in the VUI. The fire prevention plan would be focused on the following important aspects of planning:
History and record of fires in the area
Previous wildfire incidents need to be researched and ultimately a fire database needs to be established and maintained. A record of wildfire causes and origin can be researched and a fire hazard map drafted indicating all the areas of high risk. This may include access routes, paths, location of schools, rubbish dumps and so forth.
Vegetation types and hazardous fuels such as dense infestations of alien woody plant species, should also be mapped.
Look at the numbers of people living in close proximity to the VUI and observe the socio-economic circumstances under which they live.
Public fire awareness
A well-educated and informed public is a safe public.
Managers need to budget and prepare for fire awareness projects in their areas of concern. The focus should be on areas of high risk, for instance it may be school children playing with fire during the school holidays. If this is the case then schools need to be included in a programme launched and run before the start of the fire season. Remember that the community resident in each VUI will vary quite considerably and any awareness campaign needs to be tailored very specifically for that community. As McKrill in a previous issue of this publication has stressed, there is no ‘one size fits all’ for awareness campaigns. Awareness campaigns need to be community specific in terms of material, should have clear objectives, opportunities for feedback and importantly, need to be part of a “greater and integrated management plan”.
Fire prevention engineering
Engineering is the term broadly used to describe the manual ‘construction’ activities undertaken to prevent the spread of fire. In the VUI, this aspect has to be addressed on two very specific levels, namely, activities carried out in the veld whereby vegetation is modified in some way to prevent fire spread and construction methods used in buildings to prevent veldfires igniting the building or spreading from the building to the veld.
Modifying vegetation
Firebreaks remain the most important means whereby a safe barrier can be constructed between the likely origin of a fire and the area it is likely to spread to. Firebreaks in the VUI may utilise existing structures such as roads or dams or topographical features such as lakes, rivers or dense moist forest. Most importantly firebreaks should not be constructed simply to slow down or prevent the spread of a fire, but should be used as a safe barrier from which counter or back fires can be lit.
Municipalities, in terms of the National Veld and Forest Fire Act (NVFFA), like any landowner or manager are responsible for preparing breaks and belts on the residential side of the urban interface and their activities in this respect are non-negotiable.
Clearing around buildings is essential to increase the possibility of a building surviving a surrounding veld fire. Also called the construction of ‘defensible space’ around a building. This does not necessarily require the removal of all vegetation around the house but only those shrubs, bushes and trees that provide a constant source of fuel allowing the fire to reach a house.
Enough vegetation should be cleared to reduce flame height and intensity thereby allowing fire fighters access to the buildings and increasing fire suppression options. Most gardens are planned to provide shade and this quality need not be adversely affected. As a rule it is advised to clear an area of 10 metres around a building of all dead material. In addition, a further 20 metres of heavy fuels could be cleared around buildings if necessary. Special care needs to be taken to ensure that gas bottles and firewood stacks are not stored alongside buildings, especially close to doors and windows.
Particular care needs to be taken of eliminating ‘ladder fuels’, whereby fires spread from short grasses, progress to shrubs, pass to higher bushes, and ultimately reach the crowns of trees that have been planted alongside buildings. In this way fires reach rooftop height and threaten buildings, especially thatch roofs.
Modifying buildings to resist veldfires
The fire proofing of all buildings within the VUI is an absolute. It stands to reason, that if a building is built in an area exposed to frequent veldfire, then the materials used, and the style of building should be such that it cannot burn in a veldfire.
Research is constantly being conducted into the most appropriate materials to use to ensure a building can survive a veld fire. Managers can acquire this information when attending conferences or by doing their own research. The following general rules always reduce the risk significantly and should form part of any fire prevention plan:
An annual fire risk assessment should be conducted in each VUI every year before the start of the fire season to determine the fire risk. FireWise Community practitioners have developed a veldfire risk and hazard assessment tool since the inception of the FireWise Communities Programme in 2004. The process reflected on this rating form serves as the principal methodology used to assess the veldfire risks and hazards in the FireWise Communities Workshops. The form if used correctly can be used to identify hazards and potential risk but also to make possible intervention measures to mitigate the risks. If used frequently, or even on an annual basis, it can be used to ‘monitor’ the risks and actions related to corrective interventions.
The ultimate objective in the IVMP is that every building should survive any wildfire incident. People should not have to be evacuated but should also be able to stay safely within their houses during a wildfire.
Fire legislation and law enforcement
The NVFFA as well as the National Fire Brigade Services Act have been specifically written to manage veldfires and this includes the reduction of wild veldfires that can lead to the loss of property, injury, and all too often even the loss of life. People start 90 percent of the veldfires in South Africa, with the remaining 10 percent being caused by natural ignitions. These figures are in all likelihood exceeded in the VUI given the high numbers of people usually resident within an area. Fire managers should thus include in their fire awareness programmes a section on the relevant fire law and the consequences of breaking the law.
The cause of every fire has to be investigated. Normally experts conduct ‘origin and cause’ investigations and this is certainly the case when major fires causing significant damage occur. There are a number of veldfire cause and origin investigation courses offered by various professional training institutions in South Africa today. Rob Erasmus in previous editions of this publication has also provided valuable information in this respect.
Wildfire cause and origin investigations should be conducted for two very important reasons:
In the next section we will take a look at fire protection plans as part of the IVMP.
This week’s featured Fire and Rescue International magazine article is: So, who is responsible for managing veldfires (wildfires) in the urban interface? Part two written by Zane Erasmus, independent environmental consultant (FRI Vol 3 no 8). We will be sharing more technical/research/tactical articles from Fire and Rescue International magazine on a weekly basis with our readers to assist in technology transfer. This will hopefully create an increased awareness, providing you with hands-on advice and guidance. All our magazines are available free of charge in PDF format on our website and online at ISSUU. We also provide all technical articles as a free download in our article archive on our website.
So, who is responsible for managing veldfires (wildfires) in the urban interface? Part two
By Zane Erasmus, independent environmental consultant
In this second instalment of the four part series of articles by Zane Erasmus, he looks at, ‘How do integrated veldfire management plans for the urban interface differ from others?’
Integrated veldfire management plans (IVMP) will vary significantly based on the type of veldfire urban interface (VUI) that has to be managed. Obviously, an IVMP drafted for a single picnic area within a vast National Park in a Savannah habitat, ie a rural urban interface, will vary quite significantly from that drawn up for a metropolitan area interface. The important thing is that the type of VUI to be managed should be identified and mapped so that the activities, communities and required budgets can be clearly recognised by all role players.
IVMPs though, will not change in general structure but should all contain the same basic content. The IVMP is in essence a compilation of separate plans written in the following sequence: Fire prevention plan, fire protection plan, and fire suppression plans. This is no different from the fire management plans drawn up for most veld and forest fire situations. The most critical consideration, however, is that due consideration has to be taken of the communities of people and building structures that are present within the VUI. These aspects, when seen in the veldfire management context, require very specific attention. Some of these are discussed in the following plans starting with the fire protection plan.
Fire prevention
As is often quoted, ‘prevention is better than cure’ and nowhere is this more true than in the VUI. The fire prevention plan would be focused on the following important aspects of planning:
History and record of fires in the area
Previous wildfire incidents need to be researched and ultimately a fire database needs to be established and maintained. A record of wildfire causes and origin can be researched and a fire hazard map drafted indicating all the areas of high risk. This may include access routes, paths, location of schools, rubbish dumps and so forth.
Vegetation types and hazardous fuels such as dense infestations of alien woody plant species, should also be mapped.
Look at the numbers of people living in close proximity to the VUI and observe the socio-economic circumstances under which they live.
Public fire awareness
A well-educated and informed public is a safe public.
Managers need to budget and prepare for fire awareness projects in their areas of concern. The focus should be on areas of high risk, for instance it may be school children playing with fire during the school holidays. If this is the case then schools need to be included in a programme launched and run before the start of the fire season. Remember that the community resident in each VUI will vary quite considerably and any awareness campaign needs to be tailored very specifically for that community. As McKrill in a previous issue of this publication has stressed, there is no ‘one size fits all’ for awareness campaigns. Awareness campaigns need to be community specific in terms of material, should have clear objectives, opportunities for feedback and importantly, need to be part of a “greater and integrated management plan”.
Fire prevention engineering
Engineering is the term broadly used to describe the manual ‘construction’ activities undertaken to prevent the spread of fire. In the VUI, this aspect has to be addressed on two very specific levels, namely, activities carried out in the veld whereby vegetation is modified in some way to prevent fire spread and construction methods used in buildings to prevent veldfires igniting the building or spreading from the building to the veld.
Modifying vegetation
Firebreaks remain the most important means whereby a safe barrier can be constructed between the likely origin of a fire and the area it is likely to spread to. Firebreaks in the VUI may utilise existing structures such as roads or dams or topographical features such as lakes, rivers or dense moist forest. Most importantly firebreaks should not be constructed simply to slow down or prevent the spread of a fire, but should be used as a safe barrier from which counter or back fires can be lit.
Municipalities, in terms of the National Veld and Forest Fire Act (NVFFA), like any landowner or manager are responsible for preparing breaks and belts on the residential side of the urban interface and their activities in this respect are non-negotiable.
Clearing around buildings is essential to increase the possibility of a building surviving a surrounding veld fire. Also called the construction of ‘defensible space’ around a building. This does not necessarily require the removal of all vegetation around the house but only those shrubs, bushes and trees that provide a constant source of fuel allowing the fire to reach a house.
Enough vegetation should be cleared to reduce flame height and intensity thereby allowing fire fighters access to the buildings and increasing fire suppression options. Most gardens are planned to provide shade and this quality need not be adversely affected. As a rule it is advised to clear an area of 10 metres around a building of all dead material. In addition, a further 20 metres of heavy fuels could be cleared around buildings if necessary. Special care needs to be taken to ensure that gas bottles and firewood stacks are not stored alongside buildings, especially close to doors and windows.
Particular care needs to be taken of eliminating ‘ladder fuels’, whereby fires spread from short grasses, progress to shrubs, pass to higher bushes, and ultimately reach the crowns of trees that have been planted alongside buildings. In this way fires reach rooftop height and threaten buildings, especially thatch roofs.
Modifying buildings to resist veldfires
The fire proofing of all buildings within the VUI is an absolute. It stands to reason, that if a building is built in an area exposed to frequent veldfire, then the materials used, and the style of building should be such that it cannot burn in a veldfire.
Research is constantly being conducted into the most appropriate materials to use to ensure a building can survive a veld fire. Managers can acquire this information when attending conferences or by doing their own research. The following general rules always reduce the risk significantly and should form part of any fire prevention plan:
- Clear all dry material such as leaves and twigs from roofs and gutters each year prior to the start of the fire season. This will prevent any ignition should burning embers land on the roof;
- Remove all tree branches, or vegetation material that overhang or reaches building roofs;
- Remove all flammable and dead vegetation around buildings particularly close to doors, windows and under patios or verandas;
- Ensure that wooden frames, verandas and decks are treated with fire retardant;
- Ensure all roofing materials are sealed and anchored. Corrugated iron sheets should not have gaps or openings, tiles have to be complete and all joints sealed;
- All eaves should be boxed in. No roof structures should be exposed. Very often embers get into the roof structures and ignite the ceiling boards of houses;
- Ventilating bricks or opening should be clear of dry material, and should be covered with sieve material to prevent the sparks and embers from entering structures;
- Thatch roofs should have external sprinklers that are tested each year for efficiency;
- Chimneys should be covered with sieves to ensure that live embers from fire grates do not land on the roof;
- Ensure that all electrical wiring is not exposed above ground;
- Ensure that access routes to and around structures are open clear and well maintained.
An annual fire risk assessment should be conducted in each VUI every year before the start of the fire season to determine the fire risk. FireWise Community practitioners have developed a veldfire risk and hazard assessment tool since the inception of the FireWise Communities Programme in 2004. The process reflected on this rating form serves as the principal methodology used to assess the veldfire risks and hazards in the FireWise Communities Workshops. The form if used correctly can be used to identify hazards and potential risk but also to make possible intervention measures to mitigate the risks. If used frequently, or even on an annual basis, it can be used to ‘monitor’ the risks and actions related to corrective interventions.
The ultimate objective in the IVMP is that every building should survive any wildfire incident. People should not have to be evacuated but should also be able to stay safely within their houses during a wildfire.
Fire legislation and law enforcement
The NVFFA as well as the National Fire Brigade Services Act have been specifically written to manage veldfires and this includes the reduction of wild veldfires that can lead to the loss of property, injury, and all too often even the loss of life. People start 90 percent of the veldfires in South Africa, with the remaining 10 percent being caused by natural ignitions. These figures are in all likelihood exceeded in the VUI given the high numbers of people usually resident within an area. Fire managers should thus include in their fire awareness programmes a section on the relevant fire law and the consequences of breaking the law.
The cause of every fire has to be investigated. Normally experts conduct ‘origin and cause’ investigations and this is certainly the case when major fires causing significant damage occur. There are a number of veldfire cause and origin investigation courses offered by various professional training institutions in South Africa today. Rob Erasmus in previous editions of this publication has also provided valuable information in this respect.
Wildfire cause and origin investigations should be conducted for two very important reasons:
- To establish an accurate fire cause history. A meaningful fire awareness programme can only be planned and executed if a manager is aware of how most wild fires are started within the VUI;
- Proof of ‘cause and origin’ are fundamental requirements in any legal action taken to recover losses and suppression costs;
In the next section we will take a look at fire protection plans as part of the IVMP.