Fearless firefighters in tiny African skirts happily hosing down the cars accompanying the runners. ‘Zele’s Zulus’ helped decorating the city of Zele in African style, resulting in Zele’s first title of “Roparun city” in 2008. They have been defending their title for three years now and this year they are aiming for the title again. Firefighter Patrik Dauwe tells us about the Roparun and how a Belgian community finally came to understand the Dutch “Oranjegekte”, where an entire nation cheer as one.
What is the Roparun?
“Every year in May, a special relay race from Paris to Rotterdam is organised. People run a 530-kilometre race to collect money and attention for people suffering from cancer. The amount that is collected is meant for financing projects that will make cancer patients’ life more comfortable and increase the quality of their life. Hundreds of teams from France, Belgium and the Netherlands are running the race, year after year.”
How did Zele get involved?
“Zele got involved by the team “de Kloddelopers”. Zele’s people go by the nickname of Kloddezak, as Zele used to be a fabric centre. Some large flax factories provided in the life of the working class. People who collected flax were mocked and called “Kloddezak”, which means as much as “gunny bag”. A team of Zele runners has chosen that name to run for charity. A few years ago, the running track was rerouted and since then, the Roparun also passes through Zele.”
What is a Roparun city?
“At the end of the race, all runners nominate the city where they have felt most welcome. The runners are passing through Zele from 22:00 pm to 06:00 am, and we decorate the entire community fort his event. The Kloddelopers come up with a new theme every year and the entire city starts decorating the town in the spirit of the selected theme. The fire brigade of Zele is very actively involved in decorating the town hall and its surroundings. We have won the title of Roparun city three times since 2008.”
How does FireWare fit into this story?
“In 2009, the theme was the Netherlands. We built an entire Dutch village and added an actual wind mill of 18 meters high. Our commanding officer announced: ‘If you build the mill, I will ‘set it on fire’.” He contacted FireWare who at that time was just starting to explore Belgium. It didn’t take much to enthusiast FireWare and have them travel to Zele ‘to set fire to the mill’. And the results were simply amazing. People actually called in the emergency services: ‘The fire brigade’s mill is on fire!’”
How did the Dutch theme become otherwise clear?
“That was downright stunning! There were orange flags everywhere, everyone was dressed in orange and we ate croquettes on sandwiches. Finally, we understood the Dutch soccer madness and their Queen’s Day celebration. In daily life, Zele is kind of a quiet community, but once a year, the Roparun really turns the city Dutch. Every year, more than 10 000 people hit the streets to party!”
What happened next?
“FireWare knows the important things in life. Since their first involvement, they have been sponsoring the event with their materials. In 2010, the theme was ‘red’ and we used fire spots and light strips to create a waterfall of 12 meters high and a 60-meter fountain consisting of red fire hoses and nozzles. And one thing leads to another of course. The fire brigade of Zele now trains their people with FireWare materials and to their full satisfaction. Talk about high quality!”
