Maruleng Fire Protection Association NPC

30/08/2026

Sunday 30 August 2026 a fire was reported, by our QRF crew members, just north of the Hoedspruit Civil Airport.

The QRF chopper was authorised for urgent deployment as there was a active treat to property and the approaching sunset.

The fire was extinguished within minutes thanks to early activation and response.




Leading Edge Aviation
Supporting Fire Services SA

23/08/2026

Weekly flight check done

23/08/2026

Pre shift flight checks and preparations for the day.

22/08/2026

This weekend, Tzaneen EST Helitac crew is on standby with the Maruleng FPA QRF based at Hoedspruit Civil Airport.

The crew will deploy with the aircraft to assist landowners and ground crews with firefighting efforts while the aircraft does water-bombing runs.

The Helitac crew will then stay behind with the landowners and ground crews, to continue with mop up, while the aircraft returns to base once the threat to life, property or livelihood has been contained.

The Helitac crew will assist during high FDI weekends as they consist of volunteers from Tzaneen.

Supporting Fire Services SA
Leading Edge Aviation

21/08/2026

20/08/2026

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗧𝗘𝗙𝗟𝗔 𝗚𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗽 𝗺𝗲𝗮𝗻 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗦𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗵 𝗔𝗳𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗮’𝘀 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝗻 𝗙𝗶𝗿𝗲 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗺𝗺𝗲?

Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment has issued a clarification on the appointment of TEFLA Group as the service provider for the Working on Fire Programme.
The statement provides important context around the appointment, the contractual arrangements and the transition of the programme. With Working on Fire playing a critical role in South Africa’s wildfire preparedness and response, this is an important development for everyone involved in fire management. 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝘂𝗹𝗹 𝗗𝗙𝗙𝗘 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁’𝘀 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝘁 𝗺𝗲𝗮𝗻𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗺𝗺𝗲. 👉 https://www.dffe.gov.za/mediarelease/workingonfire?utm

20/08/2026

14/08/2026

Even though there are no current active fires in the Maruleng FPA operational area, our QRF pilots still need to fly. 🚁

Every time a new pilot takes over, they do an operational flight to ensure everything stays well-oiled and that the team is ready for action at a moment's notice.

Supporting Fire Services SA
Leading Edge Aviation

10/08/2026

Over the weekend we saw the first deployment of the Maruleng FPA QRF helicopter to two active wildfires and a total of 30 000 Liters (30 tons) of water was dropped.

In the past, we had to wait for ground resources to arrive while the fire line got bigger and hotter, threatening property and Livelihood.

With the addition of the QRF helicopter during this 2026 fire season, firefighting starts from the air while we await arrival of ground resources, putting out hotspot's that has a direct threat to life, property or livelihood.
This allows ground crews to extinguish the fire faster and reduces the damage to property or livelihoods.

A thank you to all volunteers, farmwatch members, landowners and the Mopani fire and rescue service that responded to the fires.

We also want to thank Supporting Fire Services SA and Leading Edge Aviation for this opportunity.