South Africa adopts ICS

By Karen Rutter

Thanks to a pioneering exchange program between South Africa and the United States, a large contingent of forces has been trained in the Incident Command System.

There still are various challenges facing the implementation of ICS. For example, Heine said it is important to obtain buy-in from various South African government departments to recognize and endorse it as the official disaster-management system. Officials already involved in disaster management, such as those in the NDMC, need to see the ICS as a national asset and not as a threat, Buys added.

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"In the long term, we should be able to deploy ICS teams to any incident around the country," Buys said. "They could potentially take a huge load off government officials, particularly if they are inexperienced, leaving well-trained guys to do the job. We have seen that, in smaller municipalities, sometimes by the time they react things are out of control. There is real value, in terms of saving lives and in terms of expense, in investing in national teams that can be called in to assist and coordinate at a moment's notice."

Favard added that South African companies, national departments and associated groups are sometimes reluctant to spend money on training. "It is not always seen as money well-spent — until there is a problem," he said. "Also, there is a fair amount of competitiveness between the different forestry companies on whose plantations many of the wildfires take place. They need to realize that it makes sense to pool resources and use the ICS, instead of fighting fires on their own land and not helping their neighbors."

The exchange with the United States has resulted in the importation and gradual implementation of a system that could make an enormous difference in how South Africa responds to disasters. "Anything new is often viewed with suspicion, but I have no doubt that the ICS is the most important and effective tool for disaster management in the country," Buys said. "Ultimately, it's in everybody's best interests."

Karen Rutter is a freelance writer with wide experience in newspaper and magazine journalism in South Africa. When she is not writing she plays drums and flute for Madame Afrique, an Afro-jive band in Cape Town, South Africa. Their CD, "She's Hot" was released in 2002.