Wild Fires cost the South African economy millions of Rands annually. They also cause loss of life and loss of livelihoods, with severe implications for not only the farming and forestry sectors, but also those least able to afford such losses, the rural poor. However most regions of South Africa are situated in naturally fire-prone ecosystems and fire is a crucial component of veld management, necessary for many of our natural systems to function.
Working on Fire is an amalgamation of national, provincial and local government departments with the private sector, established to promote an integrated approach to fire management in South Africa. Its partnership approach assists in the establishment of embryonic Umbrella Fire Protection Associations and Fire Protection Associations (FPAs), co-operative development of fire protection measures, reduction of fire hazards, improved veldfire control, the implementation of appropriate veld-management strategies and the empowerment of communities affected by fire, in accordance with the policies and practices of the National Veld and Forest Fire Act of 1998, the Disaster Management Act of 2000 and the Poverty Relief Fund.

Pooling and deploying resources through a co-ordinated national network is a proven efficiency and cost saving strategy. At the operational level Working on Fire aerial and ground forces are a national resource, distributed across the country.

Most unwanted fires are caused by people and their activities, and therefore a key step in rolling out integrated fire management is education and raising awareness of communities affected by fire.
Source: Fire Awareness Survey 2005