At NCC-Group, our vision has always been to facilitate real growth for people, planet, and business. A critical component of that vision is education, training, mentoring and coaching. For years, professionals across the environmental and health and safety sectors have relied on our comprehensive training offerings from health and safety qualifications to our globally recognised Incident Command System (ICS) e-learning programmes.
While our online modules, such as the Introduction to a National Incident Management System – (NIMS), Introduction to ICS and Basic ICS for Initial Response, provide the foundational knowledge necessary for operational excellence, the evolving landscape of risk in Southern Africa demands more. It demands hands-on, context specific interventions that bridge the gap between theory and the harsh reality of our local environment.
In response to this need, we are proud to introduce two groundbreaking training initiatives: the Basic Wildfire Risk Assessment for Landowners tool and the NIMS for Executives course.
A Local Solution for a Local Threat: The Wildfire Risk Assessment Tool
Wildfire is not a matter of “if,” but “when.” For landowners in the Cape, understanding specific property risks is the first line of defence.
On 5th February, we successfully delivered the Basic Wildfire Risk Assessment for Landowners course to members of the Cape Peninsula Fire Protection Association (CPFPA) and our own NCC Wildfires staff. This training marks a significant evolution in how we manage wildfire risk at a property level.
The course is built around a bespoke risk assessment tool developed by Val Charlton and Dean Ferreira. While inspired by the international NFPA Firewise framework, this tool was not simply “imported”; it was re-engineered for South Africa. It is specifically adapted to reflect our unique local landscapes, CPFPA members rules, and the stringent requirements of the National Veld and Forest Fire Act.
During the recent session in Noordhoek, participants moved beyond the classroom to conduct physical site assessments, applying the methodology in a real world setting. This initiative, supported by grant funding from the Western Cape Government to the Western Cape Umbrella FPA, represents a key step toward consistent, defensible, and locally relevant wildfire risk assessments. It empowers landowners not just to react to fires, but to proactively engineer safety into their properties – the first line of defence.
A First for Southern Africa: NIMS for Executives
While the landowner course builds resilience from the ground up, our second major initiative strengthens it from the top down.
We are incredibly proud to announce the launch of the National Incident Management System (NIMS) for Executives course – a historic first for Southern Africa.
Major incidents and disasters require more than just operational boots on the ground; they require decisive, informed strategic leadership. This course creates a vital interface between political leadership (Mayors, Councillors) and executive management (Municipal Managers and Executive Heads of Departments), ensuring that they understand their distinct strategic roles without compromising operational integrity.
Delivered on behalf of the Western Cape Government, the programme has already seen successful rollouts in Moorreesburg (West Coast District Municipality) and Worcester (Cape Winelands District Municipality), soon to be followed by a session with the City of Cape Town and then the Central Karoo, Overberg and Garden Route District Municipalities.
Facilitated by retired City of Cape Town Chief Fire Officer Ian Schnetler and NCC-Group Founder Dean Ferreira, the course covers critical ground:
- What is NIMS, ICS, Multiagency Coordination Group, Emergency Operations Centres and the Joint Information System and how they work together to ensure the efficient management and resolution of an incident/event.
- Unified Command: Ensuring intergovernmental coordination.
- Role Clarity: Helping executives understand how their high-level decisions influence public safety and community resilience.
- Strategic Oversight: Enabling political leadership to provide direction during crises without blurring into operational interference.
The sessions have been enriched by the participation of provincial heavyweights like Dr. Colin Deiner (Chief Director: Disaster Management and Fire/Rescue Services) and Mr. Etienne Du Toit, whose inputs provided a critical provincial perspective on executive accountability.
By aligning executive decision making with internationally recognised incident management principles, we are helping municipalities across the Western Cape build systems that are not just reactive, but robustly governed and resilient.
Whether it is a landowner clearing a fire break in Noordhoek or a Mayor making a critical decision in a in a Multiagency Coordination Group, the thread connecting them is preparedness. These new courses underscore NCC-Group’s commitment to providing training that is not just “tick-box” compliance, but a genuine investment in safety and leadership.
To learn more about these courses or our suite of ICS training, please contact us at training@ncc-group.co.za or explore our full catalogue on our e-learning site.