Volunteer Fire Fighters undergo rigorous training to ensure that they are able to control any situation. The training takes place at the Brixton Training School, and includes "hot" drills.

A Volunteer Fire Fighting Team Participates in a "Flame Bend" Exercise. The purpose of the exercise is for the team to get close enough to the LP gas nozzle to shut it off without extinguishing the flames. Should the flame be extinguished, it will result in large amounts of unignited gas being released into the air, creating a potentially deadly explosion hazard.

Rescuers work quickly to free the driver trapped inside this mangled vehicle.

Fire fighters are required to undergo testing for a variety of phobias, particularly claustrophobia (an irrational fear of closed spaces). Here Volunteer trainees are put through the paces in a series of underground pipes, somewhere beneath Sandton.

Teamwork is an essential aspect in the Emergency Services. In this picture Volunteer trainees have to carry an "injured" team member to safety. The only light they saw during this exercise was the flash from the camera.

No matter what the conditions are like (or the smell!), members of the Emergency Services are required to function at their peak performance at all times. In this picture Volunteer trainees had to crawl through stagnant water, knee deep mud, tied together, in under 60 seconds.

To learn more about the qualifications, equipment and vehicles used by the Volunteers, click on one of the buttons above.