“If there’s one lesson that the June and September floods of 2023 has taught us it is that one should always be prepared for any emergency, therefore it is crucial that everyone should equip themselves with basic health and safety training that could save lives and property during natural disasters.”
So said Kurt Maske, a paramedic by profession who is also largely involved with voluntary rescue and disaster management operations within the Boland and several parts of the Western Cape.
EikestadNuus spoke to Maske on the back of his voluntary involvement in coordinating disaster relief during this year’s devastating floods in June and September.
Maske, who’s property in Franschhoek was also affected by the Heritage-weekend floods, says it was a natural disaster that no-one was prepared for.
“Franschhoek was completely cut-off from its surrounding areas. There were some areas that were without water and electricity for almost a week. Since I was also involved with disaster relief in June, I quickly managed to reconvene the group of volunteers that were mobilised at that time (June). I had them all on a WhatsApp group.
“With the power being out for almost a week, our internet was essentially also affected. Franschhoek had no means of communication for certain days and that alone was very difficult. Apart from the medical emergencies that we did not get at times, we also struggled to communicate with volunteers on what areas need to be covered,” he says.
He says preparation and precaution during severe weather conditions is key.
“You have to ensure that essential devices are charged, that you have extra power supplies, generators if needed and non-perishable food items. These items should be able to sustain you for at least a month.
“Also ensure that your vehicle has enough fuel or that you have a backup supply of fuel. We saw how Franschhoek was completely cut-off at both entrances, which made entry impossible for vehicles that would have to fill up pump stations.”
Maske’s efforts to coordinate disaster relief in September was facilitated by his network of volunteers.
“The key is to identify certain role players in the town and in communities who are willing to step up in the case of an emergency. There were houses that were completely destroyed, but the way people came together was absolutely incredible.
“We saw how even those in the private sector came out and assisted where possible. Companies offered their services, residents opened their homes for flood-affected victims and assisted with food and water supplies at absolutely no cost.”
He adds that there was a lesson to be learned from these disasters.
“It was a wake-up call for everyone. No-one saw it coming. I hope that people realise that you need to be prepared for these types of occurrences. Luckily, we don’t have many natural disasters in South Africa, but when it happens it’s usually quite severe. I would, therefore, advise people to undertake basic first-aid training and obtain essential emergency items so that they are at least somewhat prepared.”
Maske was a permanent emergency and advanced life support paramedic at ER24 until the end of September.
An opportunity to work on an international cruise ship now sees him work on board two months and be off for months . During his two months off he remains actively involved with emergency response at ER24. The rescue operation has assigned him an emergency response vehicle, which he uses to provide advanced life support in several areas across the Cape Winelands, Cape Peninsula and Breede River.
Maske grew up in Franschhoek and matriculated at Bridge House High School. He says it was the limited availability of emergency response teams in Franschhoek that sparked his interest in becoming a professional paramedic.
He obtained his BHSc degree in Advanced Life Support at the Durban University of Technology between 2015 and 2019.
