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2 June 2023
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New City of Cape Town chief fire officer takes charge
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Clinton Manuel has a career in fire fighting spanning more than three decades and since Thursday, 1 June 2023, he is tasked with leading from the front in Cape Town’s Fire and Rescue Service. Chief Fire Officer Clinton Manuel’s appointment comes seven months after the retirement of his predecessor, Chief Ian Schnetler.
Schnetler was on hand at the Epping Fire Station on Thursday, 1 June 2023, to award the new CFO with his accredited stars.
Manuel joined the Cape Town Municipal Fire Brigade as a Learner Firefighter in February 1989. He has served at numerous fire stations in various capacities since joining the fire service including Lakeside, Epping, Salt River, Roeland Street, Gugulethu and the Epping Training Centre (later renamed the Fire and Rescue Service Training Academy).
Over time, he earned additional certification qualifications to advance in the ranks, including a National Diploma in Fire Service Technology in 1995 and a degree in Public Management.
‘I am incredibly proud but humbled by the appointment and that the City has entrusted the Fire and Rescue Service to my leadership. I will do my utmost to repay that trust. I want to thank my predecessor for the solid foundation he built and I call on each and every employee in the Fire and Rescue Service but also all of our residents, to work together in ensuring that we continue building a strong and resilient Fire Service and make our city safer,’ said CFO Manuel.
Among the new CFO’s achievements over the past 34 years are:
• Leading the Fire and Rescue Service’s Training Centre to achieve accreditation with the Local Government Sector Education Training Association (LG SETA), the Southern African Emergency Service Institute (SAESI) and the Quality Council for Trades and Occupations (QCTO)
• Cape Town becoming the first South African municipal fire service to achieve membership of the International Fire Service Accreditation Congress (IFSAC)
• Becoming the first ever board member from Africa to serve on the Certificate Assembly Board of Governors of IFSAC
• Turning around the Knysna Fire Service during his three-year tenure as fire chief (end 2014 – 2018), including drafting a Fire Service By-law
• Serving as incident commander during the 2017 Knysna Fires, which was classified a Type 1 incident, the first of its kind in South Africa
‘Chief Manuel has a stellar track record and I have no doubt that Cape Town’s Fire and Rescue Service is in good hands. He knows the service inside out, he is familiar with the hundreds of firefighters under his watch, and he has a passion for training, development and advancement, all of the things that will help take our service to the next level. We are already one of the best, if not the best functioning Fire and Rescue Service in the country, and I look forward to seeing what additional plaudits our new Chief will lead us to,’ said Mayoral Committee Member for Safety and Security, Alderman JP Smith.
Quote of the week
“Leadership is the key to 99 percent of all successful efforts.” ~ Erskine Bowles
Fire and Rescue International is your magazine.
Read it, use it and share it!
Download magazine PDFs: https://www.frimedia.org/fri-archives.html
Read the magazines online: https://issuu.com/fireandrescueinternational
Enjoy the read!
Lee Raath-Brownie
Managing director
Cell: 082 371 0190
Contact us
Tel: 011 452 3135 or Email: lee@fireandrescue.co
Websites
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Schnetler was on hand at the Epping Fire Station on Thursday, 1 June 2023, to award the new CFO with his accredited stars.
Manuel joined the Cape Town Municipal Fire Brigade as a Learner Firefighter in February 1989. He has served at numerous fire stations in various capacities since joining the fire service including Lakeside, Epping, Salt River, Roeland Street, Gugulethu and the Epping Training Centre (later renamed the Fire and Rescue Service Training Academy).
Over time, he earned additional certification qualifications to advance in the ranks, including a National Diploma in Fire Service Technology in 1995 and a degree in Public Management.
‘I am incredibly proud but humbled by the appointment and that the City has entrusted the Fire and Rescue Service to my leadership. I will do my utmost to repay that trust. I want to thank my predecessor for the solid foundation he built and I call on each and every employee in the Fire and Rescue Service but also all of our residents, to work together in ensuring that we continue building a strong and resilient Fire Service and make our city safer,’ said CFO Manuel.
Among the new CFO’s achievements over the past 34 years are:
• Leading the Fire and Rescue Service’s Training Centre to achieve accreditation with the Local Government Sector Education Training Association (LG SETA), the Southern African Emergency Service Institute (SAESI) and the Quality Council for Trades and Occupations (QCTO)
• Cape Town becoming the first South African municipal fire service to achieve membership of the International Fire Service Accreditation Congress (IFSAC)
• Becoming the first ever board member from Africa to serve on the Certificate Assembly Board of Governors of IFSAC
• Turning around the Knysna Fire Service during his three-year tenure as fire chief (end 2014 – 2018), including drafting a Fire Service By-law
• Serving as incident commander during the 2017 Knysna Fires, which was classified a Type 1 incident, the first of its kind in South Africa
‘Chief Manuel has a stellar track record and I have no doubt that Cape Town’s Fire and Rescue Service is in good hands. He knows the service inside out, he is familiar with the hundreds of firefighters under his watch, and he has a passion for training, development and advancement, all of the things that will help take our service to the next level. We are already one of the best, if not the best functioning Fire and Rescue Service in the country, and I look forward to seeing what additional plaudits our new Chief will lead us to,’ said Mayoral Committee Member for Safety and Security, Alderman JP Smith.
Quote of the week
“Leadership is the key to 99 percent of all successful efforts.” ~ Erskine Bowles
Fire and Rescue International is your magazine.
Read it, use it and share it!
Download magazine PDFs: https://www.frimedia.org/fri-archives.html
Read the magazines online: https://issuu.com/fireandrescueinternational
Enjoy the read!
Lee Raath-Brownie
Managing director
Cell: 082 371 0190
Contact us
Tel: 011 452 3135 or Email: lee@fireandrescue.co
Websites
www.fireandrescue.co
www.frimedia.org
www.facebook.com/FireandRescueInternational
www.twitter.com/FRI_magazine
http://www.linkedin.com/in/lee-raath-brownie-16668065/