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ABRAHAMS STANDS TALL AS SA’S TOUGHEST FIREFIGHTER
Courage forged in flames
LAUREN O'CONNOR-MAY
S
LAUREN.OCONNOR-MAY@NOVUSMEDIA.CO.ZA
outh Africa’s toughest woman firefighter alive, Baigum Abrahams, chose her profession after her home caught fire in her youth. “I was 20 or 21 years old, and I was with my son in the house, and the kitchen caught alight. I woke up to the crackling sound of the fire,” the Strandfontein resident said. Abrahams said she fled the house with her son and watched as the firefighters arrived and took control of the blaze. “I just felt like the weight of the world wasn't on my shoulders. I felt a massive sense of gratitude and relief because there were people to help, and I wanted to give that feeling to as many people as I could.”
Andiswa Stafa and Baigum Abrahams of Westridge Firestation brought home gold and silver medals from the Toughest Firefighter Alive competition.
ROOTS IN RESCUE Abrahams comes from a rescue background, she said, and her whole family are involved in Sea Rescue. After the fire though, she bucked the trend and trained to be a firefighter, which she has been doing for “eight years, three
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“In December, we had more than 300 calls ... - Baigum Abrahams months and 16 days”. “Yes, I count the days,” she said laughing. “I know it’s funny.” Abrahams (30) and her Westridge fire station mate, Andiswa Stafa (45) of Khayelitsha, won first and second place in the individual categories of the Toughest Firefighter Alive competition in George last month. They brought home gold and silver medals respectively but both women also took home gold medals for the relay challenge. This is the third consecutive year that Abrahams won gold in the individual challenge, but this year she shares the honour with a colleague, Thobeka Senatse from the Kraaifontein fire station, whom she beat “just by a few microseconds”. TO PAGE 3
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