Working on Fire fast tracks fire safety
WORKSHOPS have been held across the country to create fire resilient communities through the empowerment of Early Childhood Development (ECD) educators.
These are being run by the Working on Fire Programme (WoF), an Expanded
Public Works Programme of the Department of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries, in partnership with the Shoprite Group.
Twenty educators from Groutville participated in the ECD workhop where they were taught the importance of fire safety inside the house and around their schools.
Advice on how to prepare for the up-coming fire season was also given to the participants.
They also drew up fire escape plans and identified potential risks around their schools.
Difficult to comply
‘Under-resourced schools find it difficult to comply with health and safety standards, which are compulsory requirements for registration with the
Department of Social Development,’ says Lunga Schoeman, CSI Manager for the Shoprite Group.
‘Teacher training is a central component of Shoprite’s support to ECD centres so we are very pleased to, in partnership with Working on Fire, roll out fire safety and awareness training to all 85 pre-schools we support.’
Working on Fire has been targeting and working with pre-schools in fire-prone areas since 2015.
WoF’s Fire Awareness Training Coordinator, Doreen Mokone says, ‘Teams across the country reach scores of learners with their fire prevention message, but we realised that educators can drive information on fire prevention to learners, who will in turn educate their communities.
‘This ensures that this message spreads faster to communities, hence the birth of the Early Childhood Development Workshops.
‘We are grateful for the partnership as it will help ensure we reach more communities,’ says Mokone.