“Leadership skills and confidence is what brought me here”, said Sophy Dinko, Community Fire Awareness Officer in the North West Province. Dinko got promoted as Community Fire Awareness Officer within 5 months as a Type 2 Crew Leader in the programme.

After completing her matric in 2006 Dinko says she had no idea what she wanted to do as she tried almost everything but was still not satisfied. She obtained her N6 Certificate in Management Assistant in 2010 and then joined the fire department as a volunteer. Just before her 3 years contract could end, she heard WoF was recruiting in her area and decided to try her luck.

That is when she met her passion for veld and forest fire fighting and never looked back.

“Nearly a year in the programme I was promoted as a Type 2 Crew Leader as self driven as I am I kept applying for new positions within the company. Now I’m in the provincial office. “I love trying new and challenging things on a daily basis because I know I’m capable of anything I put my mind to. Being a Type 2 prepared me for this position. I can interact and approach people with confidence”, she added.

“I must say my job is a dream come true because I always wanted to engage myself in community activities, travelling and meeting people from all walks of life and people in high places’, she laughs. From a fire fighter to junior management and now in the Provincial office as a woman, this experience taught me that the sky is the limit at Working on Fire”. Dinko concluded.