‘Andrew Jantjies, a dedicated Disaster Risk Management Centre volunteer, who lost his life in the line of duty in 2014, was a motivation to all with his unselfish duty to the community. Today, his legacy lives on and has opened up many opportunities for volunteers to undergo training, learn new skills and increase the capacity of the Disaster Risk Management Centre to deal with possible disasters. Volunteers also strengthen the partnerships that the City has with communities and have a proud tradition of helping people in need,  said the Mayoral Committee Member for Safety and Security, Alderman JP Smith.

The Memorial Fund was initiated by the City of Cape Town to honour the memory of Jantjies, who suffered a heart attack while assisting with firefighting efforts in the south peninsula. Through donations from the community and an annual R500 000 contribution from the Safety and Security Directorate, other DRMC volunteers have been able to attend additional induction courses and ongoing training interventions.

The volunteer corps, which is nearly 500 strong, is a crucial resource in dealing with fires, flooding and other natural disasters that occur.

One of the practical training interventions made possible by the Memorial Fund was fire suppression training which put volunteers through their paces in implementing preventative measures to reduce the risk of veld fires.  

Other interventions included driver training (Code 8), smart driver training, conflict resolution, an international trauma life support course and supervisory training.

One of the volunteers,  Kate Williams, took advanced training in First Aid to new heights when she completed a National Diploma in Paramedics.

Kate has been a volunteer with the Disaster Risk Management Centre since 2013  and is currently working in Port Elizabeth as a paramedic, but hopes to find work in Cape Town.