New stamps honour SA's firefighters

Cape Town – The heroic actions of Western Cape’s firefighters this year no doubt stoked a fresh legion of children dreaming to don a yellow helmet, and the SA Post Office (Sapo) has jumped on this “fire” wagon with a series of stamps honouring the sector.

Sapo, which is currently under administration and under the watchful eye of Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa, will launch a limited edition set of eight stamps celebrating firefighters on 26 June.

The artwork for the set of eight stamps was done by Jaco Botha, a graphic design student at the Tshwane University of Technology (TUT). The TUT graphic design department incorporated the stamp design project into their curriculum.

“The design students were required to create images that reflected different aspects of firefighting and its sub-sections, as well as the history of firefighting in South Africa,” according to Sapo.

“The Disaster and Emergency Management Services of the City of Ekurhuleni provided guidance in this regard, and helped to ensure that the firefighters’ uniforms, vehicles and equipment were depicted accurately on the stamps,” it said in a statement.

The back of the stamp sheet contains guidelines on fire safety at home, including hints on avoiding fires and what action to take in the event of a fire.  

The stamps:

Our real-life action heroes

“The role of firefighters – our real-life action heroes – is to protect lives and property,” Sapo explained. “No matter what country you live and work in, firefighters work together against one common enemy – fire.  

“But firefighters are not only trained to put out fires; they are also trained as paramedics and rescuers; they assist during emergencies and local and national disasters such as floods, earthquakes, and traffic accidents.

“The first image on the stamp sheet depicts a 1920 Dennis fire engine used in South Africa at the time, with a typical fire station from the time in the background, while the second stamp shows a typical modern day fire engine and fire station in South Africa. The rest of the stamps show modern firefighters in action."

The stamps can be ordered online from 26 June 2015 at www.virtualpostoffice.co.za, or you can send an e-mail to sastamps@postoffice.co.za.  Only 20 000 sheets were printed and for this reason, the stamps will not be available at post offices countrywide.