Working on Fire (WOF) Mpumalanga’s Fire Awareness Unit conducted a fire awareness workshop for early childhood development (ECD) teachers at the Ithemba Education Development Centre in Ermelo in October.

The ECD workshops aimed to ensure that educators were aware of evacuation processes, how to deal with fires and the overall safety of their centres.

“The objective of the workshop was to bring environmental education to teachers to enhance their knowledge of fire safety in schools and homes so they can educate their learners and keep them safe,” says Community Fire Awareness Training Officer, Mbuso Siwela.

According to Siwela, topics covered in the workshop were mainly fire safety tips and measures that could be taken to help prevent fires.

“When presenting the workshops, I emphasise the fact that fire safety is everyone’s responsibility and that young ones also need to be educated in case of fire,” he says. Nompumelelo Nkosi, an ECD teacher at Inhlosenhle Day Care Centre in Ermelo says,

“I am pleased that this workshop took place because it has shed some light on how as educators we can teach the little ones to be fire safe when it comes to fire hazards surrounding their homes and schools.”