Fire and Rescue International Newsletter

Celebrating 60 years of service: Air Mercy Service marks diamond jubilee

The Air Mercy Service (AMS) proudly celebrated 60 years of delivering critical aero-medical and rescue services across South Africa, marking a legacy of innovation, compassion and life-saving impact. Since its establishment in 1966, AMS has played a vital role in bridging the gap between remote communities and essential healthcare. Through a unique partnership model, the organisation has evolved into a highly specialised aero-medical and healthcare support service, providing emergency aero-medical transport, rescue operations and a Flying Doctor outreach programme to underserved and rural communities.

The 60th anniversary celebration, hosted at AMS’s base in the General Aviation Area of Cape Town International Airport, brought together government leaders, international partners, donors and stakeholders across the aviation and healthcare sectors to reflect on six decades of impact and chart a path forward.

Leadership reflections:
A strategic moment Delivering the Chairperson’s address, Mr Gideon Sam emphasised that the milestone was more than a celebration; it was a defining moment for the organisation’s future. “This is not merely a commemoration. It is a moment of strategic intent,” he said.

Sam highlighted AMS’s role as a critical extension of South Africa’s healthcare system: “From the outset, our work was never designed to stand alone; it was built to be embedded within the broader national health agenda,, extending specialist care into the most underserved communities and acting as a force multiplier for a public health sector stretched to its limits.”

Looking ahead, he outlined three strategic priorities for the organisation: removing distance as a barrier to care, deepening integration with the health system, and driving innovation and sustainability. “The next chapter of the Air Mercy Service will be defined by deeper, more intentional partnerships – because none of this will be achieved alone.”

CEO Perspective: Excellence in Action
In his address, Mr Farhaad Haffejee reinforced the operational strength and human impact behind AMS’s work. “Excellence is not a skill. It is an attitude – and that attitude has defined the Air Mercy Service for six decades,” he said.

Haffejee underscored that while the anniversary marks an important milestone, the true measure of AMS lies in its daily impact: “Every flight we undertake represents a critical moment – a patient in need, a community in distress, a healthcare system under pressure. Our role is to respond efficiently, safely and with clinical excellence.”

He further highlighted AMS’s integrated model within the healthcare system: “We are not a standalone service. We are embedded within the system supporting provincial departments, extending hospital capacity and enabling access to care where it would otherwise not exist.”

Looking forward, Haffejee outlined a clear strategic focus on operational excellence, sustainable growth and collaborative impact, emphasising the need for continued partnership and innovation.

A platform for partnership and impact
The evening programme featured contributions from key partners and sector leaders, including a Platinum Sponsor address by Aurelian Blanc of Rotortrade, reaffirming the importance of aviation partnerships in enabling life-saving operations.

Delivering the keynote address, Dr Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma spoke on advancing equitable healthcare, highlighting the importance of strengthening systems to reach vulnerable populations.

This was followed by a sector-wide perspective from Ms Jodi Scholtz (NLC Commissioner), who emphasised the importance of collaboration between government, civil society and the private sector in building sustainable impact.

The programme was facilitated by Mr Africa Melane, who guided the evening’s reflections and engagements.

A legacy of impact
Over the past six decades, AMS has:
• Conducted thousands of life-saving patient transfers
• Delivered critical care to remote and underserved communities
• Supported disaster response and humanitarian efforts
• Strengthened the public health system through outreach and training

Looking ahead
As AMS looks to the future, the organisation remains focused on expanding its reach, enhancing its capabilities, and strengthening partnerships to ensure equitable access to healthcare for all South Africans. “Access to quality healthcare should not be determined by geography,” said Haffejee. “The impact we celebrate today is a collective achievement and the future will be built together.”

The anniversary event also served as a platform to raise awareness and critical funding requirements to sustain and grow AMS’s life-saving services.

Quote of the week
““Leadership is lifting a person’s vision to high sights, the raising of a person’s performance to a higher standard, the building of a personality beyond its normal limitations.” ~ Peter Drucker

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Lee Raath-Brownie
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A major breakthrough has been made in the brutal killing of beloved Pretoria paramedic, Abraham “Braam” Kruger. The 40-year-old emergency services veteran was murdered on Thursday, 2 April 2026, at a guesthouse in Brooklyn, Pretoria. He was found tied up, with clear signs of a struggle, after checking in with a group of men who later fled the scene. In a coordinated multi-agency operation, police tracked the suspects from Gauteng to KwaZulu-Natal and back. In the early hours of 12 April 2026, four suspects were arrested during a tactical raid in Protea Glen, Soweto.

At approximately 19:30 Friday, 10 April 2026, the New York City Fire Department (FDNY) responded to a report of an odour of smoke at 130-17 23rd Avenue in College Point, Queens. Upon arrival, units discovered heavy fire conditions. “The fire was located inside a lumber yard, which presented a significant fuelload and allowed the fire to grow rapidly,” said Assistant Chief Michael Meyers. “Due to the volume of fire, members were forced to withdraw from the building and transition to an exterior operation.”

International Firefighters’ Day will be hosted by the Overberg District Municipality in the Western Cape this year on Saturday, 9 May 2025, at Nampo Park in Bredasdorp. “On International Firefighters’ Day (St Florian’s Day), we honour all firefighters from all organisations, formal and informal, paid and volunteer for their incredible service. We remember the fallen—those who gave their lives in the line of duty. We honour those who served with courage and have since retired or passed on. And we salute all those still on the front lines, protecting lives and communities.”

In an increasingly unpredictable world, emergencies are no longer rare events, they are recurring tests of national resilience. From pandemics and climate-driven disasters to chemical and radiological and nuclear incidents, countries face a growing spectrum of public health threats. To support countries prepare more systematically against emergencies, WHO has recently released new global guidance which enables countries to move beyond one-off emergency drills and establish National Health Simulation Exercise Programmes (NHSEP). These are systematic, government-led programmes to testing and strengthening preparedness for health emergencies.

Sixteen people were safely rescued after a flash flood left travellers stranded in Meiringspoort, prompting a coordinated emergency response from multiple agencies. Following rockfalls and rapidly rising water levels that led to the recent closure of Meiringspoort, the Western Cape Department of Health and Wellness Emergency Medical Services (WCDHW EMS), together with partner agencies, mobilised to assist stranded travellers and ensure their safe evacuation. The rescue formed part of a multi-agency response involving EMS, AMS, the South African Police Service (SAPS), Oudtshoorn Fire and Rescue and Prince Albert Fire and Rescue.

At the edge of the Arctic, where weather is unpredictable and help can be hundreds of miles away, Air Greenland’s SAR crews operate in some of the most extreme conditions on Earth. In the longest film yet, over 14 minutes, we join the crews flying the Airbus H225 for the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre out of Kangerlussuaq and explore the wider Air Greenland fleet operating across vast, remote terrain. Advanced capabilities like full de-icing and auto hover are critical here. But technology is only part of the story. From fuel-critical decisions to survival planning in -40° conditions, every mission is a calculated risk.

Source: Vertical Plus and Lloyd H Photography

Relief is underway for wildfire-prone areas in the Western Cape and Catalonia in Spain with the Mediterranean Climate Action Partnership Mini-Sprint project that will enhance landscape resilience and address the impacts of damaging wildfires. With a focus on climate change adaptation, and with support from other Mediterranean regions (Central Chile, New South Wales in Australia and Southern California in the USA), the Mini-Sprint initiative has developed an integrated Mediterranean Fire Risk Information Management System (MFRIMS) as a future predictive capability tool to help decision-makers plan for, manage and respond to wildfires, to protect the built and natural infrastructure of ecosystems at risk from disastrous wildfires in these Mediterranean climate regions.

In a city where an ambulance is dispatched every 30 seconds, the pressure never stops. Experience the front lines with the Tokyo Fire Department—from the neon streets of Shinjuku to the intense fire season in Hachioji. Firefighters save lives, but in Tokyo, they go one step further. Watch the moving moment when the team recovers a family’s photo album from the ruins.

Source: Japan Dig

The NSRI’s Volunteer Support Centre (VSC) training team, last month, joined forces with Station 46 in Storms River for a maritime extrication refresher session, set high above the forest floor on the platforms of Tsitsikamma Canopy Tours. While maritime extrication training is typically associated with vessels at sea, this session took a different approach. By training in a land-based environment that mirrors the region’s rugged terrain, volunteers built skills that directly translate into real rescue scenarios.

Governments and international organisations from around the world have responded with offers of support after a major earthquake of magnitude 7.8 struck central Turkey and northwest Syria, the world’s deadliest tremor in at least a decade. Two days after the quake, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan admitted relief had been slow to arrive. Search and rescue in urban disaster zones is a methodical process often conducted jointly by local emergency management authorities and international teams. Speed is essential as people trapped in the rubble often struggle to survive for longer than a few days. And the area hit by the disaster can be vast.

Na meer as vier dekades van diens het Wes-Rand Nooddienste se streeksbevelvoerder, Gerhard Nieuwoudt (60), op 27 Februarie 2026 sy brandweerbaadjie vir die laaste keer opgehang. Hy het sy loopbaan in 1984 as skoolverlater by die brandweer begin, later diens gedoen by die lugmag se brandweer en uiteindelik in die Wes-Rand tot streeksbevelvoerder gevorder.

This week’s featured Fire and Rescue International magazine article is: Ambulance infection control: understanding and applying it written by the South African Private Ambulance and Emergency Services Association (SAPAESA) (FRI Vol 3 no 11). 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.

With the relocation of Oslo’s former main fire station in the summer of 2023, a new fire station was designed in Bjørvika, which houses the Fire and Rescue Service (BRE). The Oslo Bjørvika Fire Station is envisioned as a modern, highly functional facility within contemporary fire station architecture that seamlessly integrates with its urban and waterfront surroundings. Located by Oslo Harbour, the new fire station serves as a vital link between land and sea, positioned in close proximity to the harbour promenade, the Opera House and Akershus Fortress. The fire station is situated in green surroundings and its sculptural design is striking: Three dark, closed blocks of ‘burnt’ wood surround the vehicle hall and support an open and light floor of bright wood and glass. The building’s technical and sculptural expression matches the area’s current mix of industry and container port.

A company says it’s not just blowing smoke when it claims to be able to put out fires without water. The San Bernardino Fire Department got a demonstration of the new method by Sonic Fire Tech. KCBS reports it uses infrared technology to detect fires. Even though it looks like nothing is coming out of these hoses, the company says it emits sound waves to extinguish the flames. Inside Edition Digital’s Mara Montalbano has more.

Source: Inside Edition

After years of traditional weight lifting, my body felt broken. This style of training rebuilt my broken firefighter body and helped me reclaim strength, mobility and resilience:
• Chasing efficiency over numbers
• Prioritising full-body movements and flow
• Using functional tools like kettlebells, maces and free weights
• Building a powerful kinetic chain instead of one-dimensional lifting.

Source: Mitch Gourley

This video demonstrates different techniques in how to lift a victim onto a window and the process in how to transfer them onto a ladder.

Source: Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Training Division

At the Technik Museum Speyer one of the largest collections of historical fire engines in all Europe can be admired, reaching from the beginnings of fire extinguishers up to the present time. Special rarities are the huge vehicles from the USA, particularly by Ahrens-Fox, which had been designed to fight fire especially also in and on high-rise buildings. Taming the fire was one of the most important steps in man‘s cultural development. The oldest depiction of a fire fight is about 5 000 years old and originated from a palace in Ninive in Iraq.

Wishing our Christian readers a Blessed Easter and a blessed and joyous Passover to all our Jewish readers

As we find ourselves in a sacred season marked by powerful moments of faith, reflection and renewal across the world, we want to extend our warmest wishes to everyone observing these holy days.

To our Christian friends and families, may this Easter be a time of profound hope and renewal. As you celebrate the resurrection of Christ, may your hearts be filled with peace, love and the joy of new beginnings.

To our Jewish friends, may this Passover be a time of remembrance and freedom. As you gather around the Seder table and recount the story of liberation, may you be surrounded by loved ones and filled with gratitude for the blessings of resilience and renewal.

In a world that often highlights our differences, may this season remind us of the sacred threads that unite us — faith, compassion, family and the enduring human spirit.

To all our emergency services, firefighters, disaster managers, first responders, doctors, nurses, healthcare workers and those on duty and working over this period, stay safe! Thank you for your service!

Quote of the week
“A candle loses nothing by lighting another candle. Leaders are in the business of lighting other people’s candles.” ~ Unknown

Fire and Rescue International is your magazine.
Read it, use it and share it!

Read the latest FRI magazine
Read the latest Disaster Management Journal

FRI magazine archive
DMJ magazine archive

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

Facebook
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www.twitter.com/FRI_magazine

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A Bell UH-1H (Huey) Iroquois firefighting helicopter operated by the Working on Fire Group under a SANParks contract was involved in an accident while assisting with brushfire suppression in the Hout Bay mountains in Table Mountain National Park, Cape Town. During a low-speed approach to drop water using an underslung Bambi bucket, the Huey manoeuvred close to a cliff face. At this point, the main rotor blades struck a protruding rock outcrop, causing severe damage to the rotor system and mast. With minimal altitude and forward speed, the pilot managed to perform an emergency landing adjacent to the fire area. The helicopter sustained a hard landing but remained largely intact. The pilot, Mike Bothma, survived with minor cuts and bruises.

Two pilots have died after a passenger plane collided with a fire truck at New York’s LaGuardia Airport in the USA. Air Canada Express Flight 8646 was a regularly scheduled international passenger flight from Montréal–Trudeau International Airport in Quebec, Canada, to LaGuardia Airport in New York, United States. The flight was operated by Jazz Aviation, an airline operating regional flights on behalf of Air Canada under the brand Air Canada Express. On the night of 22 March 2026, the Bombardier CRJ900 serving the flight experienced a runway incursion with a LaGuardia airport firefighting (ARFF) truck operated by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. The truck was crossing the runway to reach an unrelated emergency event as the CRJ900 landed, resulting in a ground collision. The aircraft’s cockpit and forward galley sections were destroyed, killing both pilots. Forty-one people, including passengers, crew and both occupants of the truck, were hospitalised following the collision; nine remained under medical care the following day.

Early Friday morning, 27 March 2026, the Fire Department New York (FDNY) responded to a 3-alarm fire at Engine 79 in the Bronx, bringing more than 160 firefighters and EMS personnel to the scene. During the incident, members operating inside the firehouse encountered fire on the first floor that extended to the apparatus floor and up the stairwell, trapping firefighters on the second floor.

A late-afternoon adventure at Hillcrest Estate quarry in Durbanville, Cape Town, turned into an unexpected rescue mission on Saturday evening, 21 March 2026, after a young German Shorthaired Pointer, Sable, took his enthusiasm for dassie-chasing a little too far. The adventurous two-and-a-half-year-old had managed to scramble roughly 20 metres up an 80-metre cliff face, only to discover that climbing up is often easier than coming down. When he didn’t return home with his companion, his owner went searching and eventually found him perched on a small ledge, looking decidedly stuck and clearly feeling a bit sorry for himself. Technical teams from Wilderness Search And Rescue (WSAR) were called to join forces with colleagues from City of Cape Town Fire and Rescue Service to assist.

Step inside the historic building in Melbourne and you’ll be greeted by Australia’s largest collection of firefighting memorabilia, including County Fire Authority (CFA) exhibits dating back almost two centuries. From horse-drawn appliances used in the 1800s, brass helmets from World War One used as makeshift firefighting headwear and valour medals won in the line of duty, to the most modern firefighting clothing and equipment, the museum charts the evolution of Victoria’s fire services.

Swift intervention by seasoned City of Ekurhuleni (CoE) Disaster and Emergency Management Services (DEMS) firefighters prevented what was to be a catastrophic fire destruction to one of the old educational institutions for children with special needs that range from attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), Down Syndrome and Autistic Spectrum Disorder in Actonville, Benoni in Ekurhuleni. After the reception of the call at 12h15 noon, firefighters from Benoni and Brakpan fire stations, respectively responded to Actonville Training Centre in Benoni for intervention. The school for the specialised able children was reported to be well alight. Benoni firefighters being the primary responding team, arrived first on scene backed up by Brakpan’s team few minutes later.

On Sunday, 22 March 2026, a major fire broke out at the Fuyao Glass America plant in Moraine, Ohio, one of the world’s largest automotive glass manufacturing facilities. Emergency crews were dispatched around 20h30 to the 2800 block of Stroop Road after reports of a structure fire, according to Moraine dispatchers. Multiple fire departments responded to the incident, which burned for several hours and was fuelled by roofing materials.

On 26 March 2026, Minister Anton Bredell formally handed over a cheque to the Search and Rescue South Africa Organisation (SARZA), recognising the organisation’s important contribution to disaster response in the Western Cape. The Department of Local Government provided R300 000 in financial support to the SARZA to assist the Organisation continuing its critical search and rescue operations across the Province.

The fire of an old bus in the 1.3km-long Raudhammar Tunnel on E6 in northern Norway literally splits the country in half. The incident occurred inside the Raudhammar Tunnel, a road tunnel in Norway designed to carry vehicular traffic through mountainous terrain on Friday, 27 March 2026. Like many Norwegian tunnels, it was equipped with ventilation, emergency lay-bys and safety systems but the enclosed nature of tunnels inherently amplifies fire risk. The passenger bus traveling through the tunnel experienced a mechanical failure that led to ignition, likely originating in the engine compartment. Within minutes, the fire spread rapidly due to combustible materials, including fuel, tyres and interior furnishings. Incident command was established immediately outside the tunnel.

This week’s featured Fire and Rescue International magazine article is: Nozzle tactics: Some thoughts on nozzles by Dale Jenkins in the USA (FRI Vol 3 no 11). 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.

The primary fire station in Ingelheim am Rhein, Germany, is the Feuerwehr Ingelheim am Rhein, which serves as the central hub for the city’s volunteer and professional fire services. The fire station at Am Großmarkt 6 in 55218 Ingelheim am Rhein was occupied by the Ingelheim Fire Department on Saturday, 5 June 2021, replacing the former location at Georg-Scheuing-Straße 1a (formerly Fire Station 1 Nieder-Ingelheim) and the location at Rheinstraße 247 in Frei-Weinheim. Since then, this location houses, in addition to the Ingelheim City Centre unit and the Ingelheim Youth Fire Brigade, the full-time Fire and Disaster Control Department 32/1, the Fire and Disaster Control Centre (FEZ) and the Ingelheim Fire Department’s central workshops for breathing apparatus, equipment storage, hose maintenance and a wash bay.

A special ambulance that can travel on railway tracks as well as on the road, is set to transform emergency medical services in the UAE and Saudi Arabia, particularly in remote desert regions. The vehicle, built locally by NAFFCO, combines standard American ambulance specifications with an innovative rail gear system, allowing it to navigate areas traditional ambulances struggle to reach. With the UAE and Saudi Arabia developing an extensive rail network, these rail ambulances could play a crucial role in reaching patients in otherwise inaccessible areas, marking a step forward in the region’s emergency healthcare capabilities.

This viral Joe Rogan kettlebell workout is ideal for firefighters looking to build first-responder functional fitness. With over 10 years on the job, I know that this workout will help you build strength, endurance and on-the-job performance as a firefighter.

Source: Mitch Gourley

This video demonstrates techniques and manoeuvres of proficient search rope management.

Source: Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Training Division

We remember the 14 firemen of Glasgow Fire Service, now Scottish Fire and Rescue Service and five salvagemen of the Glasgow Salvage Corps on the 66th anniversary of their deaths at a Fire and explosion at a Bonded Warehouse, Cheapside Street, Glasgow on 28 March 1960. At 19:15 on 28 March a 999 call was received by Glasgow Fire Service control reporting ‘smoke issuing’ from the Warehouse of Arbuckle, Smith & Co Ltd. Two appliances were dispatched from West Fire Station along with a turntable ladder from Central Fire Station. In addition, Fireboat ‘St Mungo’ was ordered along with a Salvage tender from the Glasgow Salvage Corps.