Rescue South Africa

2 years ago

We have joined forces with Rescue South Africa to deliver top-notch rescue equipment, expert personnel, and comprehensive training for on-site rescue missions.

Prioritise your workers' health, regulatory compliance, risk management, and uphold your reputation. Investing in our rescue capabilities ensures a safer work environment, boosted morale, and a resilient, efficient project site. Ready to fortify your emergency response?

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#ATA #ATAInternational #There4life #RescueSouthAfrica #RescueSA #RescueMissions ... See MoreSee Less

Rescue South Africa

2 years ago

“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 ... See MoreSee Less

Rescue South Africa

2 years ago

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 ... See MoreSee Less

Rescue South Africa

2 years ago

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 ... See MoreSee Less

Rescue South Africa

2 years ago

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. ... See MoreSee Less

Rescue South Africa

2 years ago

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 ... See MoreSee Less

Rescue South Africa

2 years ago

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