RESCUE SOUTH AFRICA

DISASTER
RESPONSE

 

24 HOUR EMERGENCY CONTACT NUMBER

+2782 459 9765

About us

want to help?

*18A Certificate available upon request

Account: Specialised Rescue South Africa
Bank: Standard Bank
Branch: Rosebank
Branch Code: 004305
Account Number: 00 247 8714

“OUR VISION IS TO ENABLE AFRICANS TO BE GOOD CITIZENS OF THE WORLD AND EMPOWER THEM TO OFFER HUMANITARIAN SERVICES WORLDWIDE. TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE.”

– IAN SCHER, CEO OF RESCUE SOUTH AFRICA

PLEASE CLICK HERE TO GET AN IDEA OF WHAT RESCUE SOUTH AFRICA IS ALL ABOUT

Training Services

We offer the University of Johannesburg accredited Advanced Rescue Practitioner Training, and several bespoke training courses including Breathing Apparatus, Breathing Apparatus Escape Courses, Heavy Lifting and Basic Fire Fighting to various Fire Departments, Emergency Services personnel and corporate South Africa.

merSETA awarded Rescue South Africa provisional accreditation as a provider on 18/10/2017. Our accreditation number is 17-QA/ACC/1387/17

All training programmes are delivered using the outcomes-based methodology, which ensures that you not only achieve competency but are also awarded with lifelong credits on the National Qualifications Framework (NQF).

Please also note that all our courses are South African Qualifications Authority approved.

There are two instructors per course and each course has a minimum intake of 8 delegates and a maximum of 14 delegates, ensuring that the instructor-learner ratio is at best-practice standards.

High angle
one

fire search
& rescue

motor vehicle
rescue

Confined space
rescue

high angle
two

hazardous materials rescue

aquatic surface
rescue

trench
rescue

Structural
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wilderness search & rescue

aviation
rescue

industrial & agricultural rescue

Should you wish to invest in upskilling your emergency responders with the proper skills to mitigate disaster impact in your environment, please contact us for a competitive quote.

Mobile: +27 (0)82 459-9765

Email : admin@rescue-sa.co.za or ian@rescue-sa.co.za

Please click on the logo to visit the website.

Rescue South Africa is proud to collaborate with ATA International Holdings, a healthcare management company that is there for life®. ATA-IH provides world-class medical training, which is internationally accredited, training contacts covering online reviews, on-site refresher training, and bespoke training catered to suit your environment.

Follow Us

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1 month ago
Rescue South Africa

Photos from Fire and Rescue International's post ... See MoreSee Less

Comment on Facebook

May their souls rest in peace condolences to their families

1 month ago
Rescue South Africa

Timeline photos ... See MoreSee Less

1 month ago
Rescue South Africa

Photos from Faculty of Health Sciences: Nelson Mandela University's post ... See MoreSee Less

1 month ago
Rescue South Africa

For Rescue South Africa to have received the Ubuntu Award once was a huge honour. And now, to have received it for a second time… we are speechless!

Mr Travis Trower’s perfectly encapsulates everything we wish to say, with gratitude, humility, and forever keeping our focus on flying the South Africa flag high as we continue to do the humanitarian work we love so much.

Thank you to all the organisers, & everyone behind the scenes who made the event a wonderful experience.
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Comment on Facebook

Congratulations Sir you deserve the honor

Great job and special mention to my former boss from SA.👏👏👏

Congratulations sir and to all at RSA💪🏻💪🏻👏🏻👏🏻

Wow!! Congrats Rescue South Africa!!

Proud to be associated with Rescue South Africa and all the amazing people.

Congratulations well deserved

Well done all involved. Keep up the amazing work 👏

Congratulations 👏

What an amazing achievement. Congratulations to all of you

So proud to seeing you up there Trav!

Well done to everyone involved!

Congratulations woohoo 🥳

Wonderful heartfelt speech. SARescue You do South Africa and us all proud

Congratulations 🍾 Rescue South Africa, Ian Scher and Travis Trower. ATA International is very proud to be your partners

Thank to all for the kind words and compliments 😊

You are the best of the best, congratulation 👏👏👏👏

Congratulations well deserved 👏

Congratulations

Well done team Rescue South Africa , Travis Trower

Well done 🙌

More power

Booyaaa!!! Well done Rescue SA.

Well done RSA 🚨🙏🏽

Well done

Well done Travis Trower and team!!! Well deserved! Absolute Rock stars!!!

View more comments

3 months ago
Rescue South Africa

“There are no perfect firefighters. Every one of us has survived moments we regret. During a long career, there will be times that you question your commitment. Excitement fades, routine sets in, and friends come and go. Politics wear you down, and time away from home becomes unbearable.

To successfully navigate it all, it is imperative to hold on to the person you were before you became a firefighter. Keep that person locked away in a place inside you. Talk to that person when things get difficult. You weren’t always burdened with the knowledge that life is cruel; good people die for no reason; and, sometimes, the best you have to offer isn’t good enough. The “old” you is the real you, just without the baggage.

If you can stay connected to that person, you will be remembered as the firefighter who showed up, did the job, did it well, and left the job far better than it was before you came along.”

- Michael Morse - Rescuing Providence

Photo by Chance Craven
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3 months ago
Rescue South Africa

By the time you are finished with your career in the fire service, everything about you will have changed. You will be old. You will be experienced. You will be confident, patient, and wise. Or, you will be old, disillusioned, angry, and bitter.

The people with whom you started your career won’t be the same, either. The friends you made along the way will be retired, on a different group, or in a different position. The ones who knew the idealistic kid who was just starting his life will be replaced by idealistic kids just starting theirs. They will know only what you project. They do not share your experiences or your passions that may or may not still be there. They did not know who you were; they only know who you are.

What you are is a culmination of the experiences that shaped you. The things you did, the things you saw, and the lives saved and lost all had an impact. Yours is not a normal life with a predictable trajectory. The ups and downs of a life in the fire service has ruined many good people and created its fair share of monsters. Fortunately, the firefighting life instills a sense of camaraderie, purpose, competence, and resilience in most of us.

So, who will they remember when your time is through?

The fearless firefighter with his entire career ahead of him, or the tired, old officer who is putting in his time so he can collect his pension?

The kid in the academy, fascinated with every new bit of knowledge obtained, eager to put it to use, or the guy who knows it all, done it all, and isn’t impressed?

The first one on the truck, or the old man who makes those eager kids fresh out of the academy wait?

The one who starts housework, or the guy who waits for someone else to pick up a mop?

The one who trained hard, or the one who goes through the motions?

The one who responded to every emergency with the desire to mitigate whatever waited, or the one who looked at the call as more of a problem than an opportunity to create a solution?

The one who wore the uniform, indicative of the person wearing it?

The one who looks back on his career with fondness or contempt?

The answer to these questions is completely up to you. In an unpredictable line of work, one thing is always under your control: how you handle it.

There are no perfect firefighters. Each and every one of us has survived moments we regret. During a long career, there will be times that you question your commitment. Excitement fades, routine sets in, and friends come and go. Politics wear you down, and time away from home becomes unbearable.

To successfully navigate it all, it is imperative to hold on to the person you were before you became a firefighter. Keep that person locked away in a place inside you. Talk to him when things get difficult. You weren’t always burdened with the knowledge that life is cruel; good people die for no reason; and, sometimes, the best you have to offer isn’t good enough. The “old” you is actually the real you, just without the baggage. If you can stay connected to him, you will be remembered as the firefighter who showed up, did the job, did it well, and left the job far better than it was before you came along.

By Michael Morse

Photo by Tim Olk

Originally published in Fire Engineering
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3 months ago
Rescue South Africa

Join the ATA International team at the Investing in African Mining Indaba, taking place from February 5-8, 2024. We will be exhibiting at stand H13 and eager to connect with industry leaders and explore opportunities in Africa's dynamic mining sector.

Attendees from our team include:
🎙Trevor Justus - Director
🎙Andre Lotz - Director
🎙Aidan Justus – Group of Companies Director
🎙Sharona Leigh de Klerk - Assistant to Commercial Director & Marketing Manager
🎙Tasneem Bowles - Operations Manager
🎙Kyle Hudson Bennett - Business Development Manager
🎙Melissa Tilma - Operations Project Supervisor
🎙Micaela van Zyl - Business Development Consultant

We look forward to sharing our expertise and forging valuable partnerships at this premier event.

hashtag#ATA hashtag#ATAInternational hashtag#There4life hashtag#InvestingInAfrica hashtag#MiningIndaba2024 hashtag#MiningIndaba hashtag#MI24
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4 months ago
Rescue South Africa

DOING THE JOB

By Michael Morse

It was a two-story cinderblock construction, commercial, unoccupied structure on a busy city street at 4:50 in the afternoon. Quitting time was 5 p.m. Smoke poured from the roof, and fire was visible on side 2. Lieutenant Steve Schora was out of the officer’s seat before the truck had made a complete stop, and so was I.

“Hold on to my coat!” he chuckled when I caught up to him at the glass entry door that he had just forced with his halligan. Kenny had the pipe, I flaked the line like I had been taught at the training academy that I had graduated from a week ago. The pump operator throttled up; I heard it whine as I masked up and turned my pack in.

In a blink, Kenny and the lieutenant disappeared into blackness. I followed, stretching the line as we ascended into the heat, searching for the glow. If all went as planned, the second-due engine company would be establishing a water supply; the third-due company should be arriving any second to back us up; and a four-member ladder company would be separating, one team starting search and rescue operations and one team going to the roof to vent. A second ladder company would be throwing ground ladders and preparing to enter the building to do a secondary search and open ceilings and walls. The Special Hazards Unit would be doing whatever needed to be done that wasn’t already being done.

I didn’t worry about everybody else and the jobs they had to do; I was busy. We found the fire after crawling through what I thought was 100 yards of barbed wire, bodies, and land mines but turned out to be about 25 feet of tables and chairs left over from the abandoned nightclub. The fire had started in a corner and was gaining strength; the ceiling above us glowed. Kenny hit it at the seat and the place returned to blackness. Just as my ears began to blister, the ladder company got the roof; the relief inside was palpable.

We spent the next hour chasing sparks, overhauling, cracking jokes, and working like people possessed. I knew then and there I had found my place.

Prior to my employment with the Providence (RI) Fire Department, I worked construction, did some restaurant work, and cut lawns. I never minded working hard. The people I worked with did. I never tried to make my co-workers look bad; I just liked to work.

“Kid, don’t bust your balls,” the older guys on the work site would tell me. “No sense killing yourself for the crummy pay they give us.”

I kept on working hard. I just didn’t know any other way. I wasn’t better than the people I worked with; I was just wired differently. I never felt as if I was part of the crew. They resented my willingness to work like a maniac, stay a few minutes late, and get the job done. It used to drive me nuts.

At around 6 p.m., the hosebeds were repacked, the roof secured, and plywood covered the entry door. The chief took the time to thank us for a job well done. Twenty or so firefighters responded to a building fire 10 minutes before quitting time. Twenty or so firefighters busted their balls for more than an hour putting the fire out. Not one of them complained. Each one gave everything they had while doing the job, each part of the operation--a vital part in ensuring a safe, effective outcome. If one person slacked off, everybody suffered.

We were soaked to the bone, filthy, exhausted, and satisfied. One by one, the crews left the fire scene and headed back to their respective stations. We were the first in and the last out. I sat in the jump seat as we cruised through the city streets on our way back, rolled down the window, basked in the smell of my own sweat and the smoke from my first fire, closed my eyes, and knew without a doubt that was exactly where I belonged.

Image of Danny Isles, E-11, PFD, (ret.) courtesy of Eric Norberg

In case you are wondering he is waiting for the pump operator to charge his line before attacking the fire.
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4 months ago
Rescue South Africa

What an incredible experience it has been for the ATA International Holdings team to witness the remarkable practical training of 3rd-year students in partnership with Rescue South Africa this year!

This experience was not only eye-opening but also incredibly insightful. We witnessed the development of future leaders in emergency response and the impact they will undoubtedly make in their careers.

#rescuesa #there4life #paramedics #emergencymanagement #emergencyresponse #emergencypreparedness
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4 months ago
Rescue South Africa

Join the ATA International team at the Investing in African Mining Indaba, taking place from February 5-8, 2024. We will be exhibiting at stand H13 and eager to connect with industry leaders and explore opportunities in Africa's dynamic mining sector.

Attendees from our team include:
🎙Trevor Justus - Director
🎙Andre Lotz - Director
🎙Aidan Justus – Group of Companies Director
🎙Sharona Leigh de Klerk - Assistant to Commercial Director & Marketing Manager
🎙Tasneem Bowles - Operations Manager
🎙Kyle Hudson Bennett - Business Development Manager
🎙Melissa Tilma - Operations Project Supervisor
🎙Micaela van Zyl - Business Development Consultant

We look forward to sharing our expertise and forging valuable partnerships at this premier event.

#ATA #ATAInternational #There4life #InvestingInAfrica #MiningIndaba2024 #MiningIndaba
... See MoreSee Less

4 months ago
Rescue South Africa

Join the ATA International team at the Investing in African Mining Indaba, taking place from February 5-8, 2024. We will be exhibiting at stand H13 and eager to connect with industry leaders and explore opportunities in Africa's dynamic mining sector.

Attendees from our team include:
🎙Trevor Justus - Director
🎙Andre Lotz - Director
🎙Aidan Justus – Group of Companies Director
🎙Sharona Leigh de Klerk - Assistant to Commercial Director & Marketing Manager
🎙Tasneem Bowles - Operations Manager
🎙Kyle Hudson Bennett - Business Development Manager
🎙Melissa Tilma - Operations Project Supervisor
🎙Micaela van Zyl - Business Development Consultant

We look forward to sharing our expertise and forging valuable partnerships at this premier event.

#ATA #ATAInternational #There4life #InvestingInAfrica #MiningIndaba2024 #MiningIndaba
... See MoreSee Less

4 months ago
Rescue South Africa

Rescue South Africa's cover photo ... See MoreSee Less

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“EACH OF US AS HUMAN BEINGS HAS A RESPONSIBILITY TO REACH OUT TO HELP OUR BROTHERS AND SISTERS AFFECTED BY DISASTERS. ONE DAY IT MAY BE US OR OUR LOVED ONES NEEDING SOMEONE TO REACH OUT AND HELP.”

 

– Michael W. Hawkins, American Red Cross –

want to help OUT?

*18A Certificate available upon request

Account: Specialised Rescue South Africa
Bank: Standard Bank
Branch: Rosebank
Branch Code: 004305
Account Number: 00 247 8714

Testimonials

ER24 - Kolomela training

“Thank you for an amazing course.

It most definitely brought the morale level up and the crews were in high spirits the whole time.

From the Kolomela Emergency Services – we say Thank You!

UNITED NATIONS - Letter of Appreciation

“As the only international Search and Rescue team to deploy immediately in support of the Government led response, Rescue South Africa truly made a lifesaving contribution to the first phase of the operation.”

UBUNTU AWARD

Rescue South Africa received the Ubuntu Award in 2016

for their work in Social Responsibility.

Beeld article

Members of Rescue South Africa and the Gauteng Emergency Services’ special operations team collaborated with the humanitarian organisation ‘The Al-Imdaad Foundation’ after the devastation caused by Tropical Cyclone Freddy.

Maroela media

SA’ners beleef verwoesting, vahoop in Malawi

“South Africans experience devastation & despair in Malawi”

            READ ARTICLE HERE

United Kingdom International Search & Rescue team

Pass on our thanks to your team from us all at UKISAR. I hope our paths cross again.

You and your team have done a wonderful job.

Storm Mountain

“The exercise was well executed by Andre [rescue equipment audit & assessment] and there are no complaints from us whatsoever, we are looking forward to the report in this regard.”

past missions

INDIA 2001

INDIA 2001

The 2001 Gujarat earthquake occurred on 26 January, India’s 52nd Republic Day, at 08:46 AM IST and lasted for over 2 minutes. The epicenter was about 9 km south-southwest of the village of Chobari in Bhachau Taluka of Kutch District of Gujarat, India. The intraplate...

DRC 2002

DRC 2002

Mount Nyiragongo, located in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, erupted on January 17, 2002, ejecting a large cloud of smoke and ash high into the sky and spewing lava down three sides of the volcano. One river of lava flowed right through the center of Goma and...

IRAN 2003

IRAN 2003

When: December 2003 What:  Earthquake – 6.5 on Richter Scale Fatalities:  35 000+ Injuries:  40 000+ Mission:  Urban Search and Rescue Mission Time: 7 days RSA Rescue Team: 44 person team (rescue, medical, engineering, hazardous materials & logistics specialists)...

ALGERIA 2003

ALGERIA 2003

When: May 2003 What:  Earthquake – 6.8 on Righter Scale Fatalities:  2 266+ Injuries:  10 261+ Mission:  Urban Search and Rescue Mission Time: 5 days RSA Rescue Team:42 person team (rescue, medical, engineering & logistics specialists) Mobilisation: Time 48...

PAKISTAN 2005

PAKISTAN 2005

On October 8, 2005, a magnitude 7.6 earthquake shook the Kashmir region (a disputed territory controlled in part by Pakistan and India), along with sections of Pakistan, India and Afghanistan. More than 80,000 people perished as a result of the quake, while an...

HAITI EARTHQUAKE 2010

HAITI EARTHQUAKE 2010

Haiti was struck by a 7.0 magnitude earthquake on Tuesday January 12, 2010 at a depth of 8.1 miles. The epicenter was located 15 miles WSW of Port-Au-Prince. There were a number of strong aftershocks ranging from 4.2 to 5.9 magnitude in strength.

JAPAN 2011

JAPAN 2011

The 2011 earthquake off the Pacific coast of Tōhoku was a magnitude 9.0 (Mw) undersea mega thrust earthquake off the coast of Japan that occurred at 14:46 JST (05:46 UTC) on Friday 11 March 2011, with the epicenter approximately 70 kilometers east of the Oshika...

PHILIPPINES 2013

PHILIPPINES 2013

Typhoon Haiyan, known as Super Typhoon Yolanda in the Philippines, was one of the strongest tropical cyclones ever recorded, which devastated portions of Southeast Asia, particularly the Philippines, on November 8, 2013. It is the deadliest Philippine typhoon on...

SOWETO COLLAPSE 2014

SOWETO COLLAPSE 2014

On Wednesday 25 June 2014 the Orlando Power Station collapsed due to excessive theft of structural steel. Four people were killed and six others injured, leading to rescue attempts over several days following the collapse.

RUSTENBURG KLOOF 2014

RUSTENBURG KLOOF 2014

It took over two days for more than 100 people from different organizations to save a North West man who had fallen from a mountain and become wedged on a cliff between two large rocks. The man was stuck for three days.

MALAWI 2015

MALAWI 2015

On the 21st January 2015 Rescue South Africa answered the call of the Malawian government for assistance after fifteen of Malawi’s twenty-eight districts were declared disaster zones. The team were based in southern Malawi, first in Blantyre and then further south at...

MOZAMBIQUE BEIRA 2019

MOZAMBIQUE BEIRA 2019

Cyclone Idai made landfall near Beira city, Mozambique, on March 14, 2019. Its heavy rains and strong winds led to flash flooding, hundreds of deaths, and massive destruction of property and crops. Cyclone Idai was one of the worst tropical cyclones on record to...

MOZAMBIQUE PEMBA 2019

MOZAMBIQUE PEMBA 2019

Tropical Cyclone Kenneth, the strongest storm ever to have hit northern Mozambique and the second cyclone within six weeks, made landfall on April 25, 2019. Torrential rain continued, causing flash flooding and leaving thousands of children and adults without access...

CYCLONE ELOISE 2021

CYCLONE ELOISE 2021

Tropical Cyclone Eloise made landfall early morning on 23 January near Mozambique's city of Beira, causing widespread damage and flooding on a long swathe of coastline and impacting an area still recovering from Cyclone Idai. Neighbouring southern African nations are...

KZN FLOODS 2022

KZN FLOODS 2022

Severe flooding and landslides caused by heavy rainfall on 11-13 April 2022 caused the death of 448 people, displaced over 40,000 people and completely destroyed over 12,000 houses in the south-east part of South Africa. It also severely damaged infrastructures:...

Greenside, Johannesburg