Fire & Flood Awareness Campaign kicks off in Eden

The Western Cape Disaster Management Centre, through the Department of Local Government, launched its 2017 Fire and Flood Awareness Campaign Roadshow today.

The Fire & Flood Awareness Campaign Roadshow is an annual priority project that aims to raise awareness in primary schools in areas vulnerable to fires and floods in the Province.

The principal aim is to address and mitigate the prevalence and impacts of fire and flood related incidents/disasters that may cause injury, loss of life, damage to property and displacement of people.

This year’s Campaign will also focus on water conservation awareness in an effort to mitigate the impacts of the current drought.

The campaign, which runs until 28 February 2017, will take place in the eastern areas of the Eden District Municipality and target 51 primary schools. In 2016, 34 different primary schools were reached in the Cape Winelands District Municipality.

The campaign consists of a 30 minute industrial theatre production designed and produced for primary school children between grades 1 – 7. It aims to effectively communicate and educate them in an interesting and innovative way on the dangers of fires, floods and other hazards such as drought, to ultimately achieve risk-avoidant behaviour and emergency preparedness. Demonstrations are made on preventative measures and actions to be taken to prevent emergencies or in case of these emergencies with a strong emphasis on the emergency numbers to call, i.e. 10177 from a landline and 112 from a cell phone.

The play is performed in either Afrikaans, or English & IsiXhosa. Learners are also asked questions throughout the production on fires and floods to test their knowledge. Scholars will receive pamphlets on fire and flood safety to take home and to discuss further in class. Rulers, bookmarkers, pencils and posters which contain fire and flood safety tips and the emergency numbers will be provided to teachers to hand out to learners and to put up in their classrooms respectively. Gerry the Giraffe, the Campaign’s official mascot, will return to entertain his audience and reiterate the message of ‘preparedness’.

The Campaign targets the vulnerable and rural communities who were not visited in previous years and is planned in collaboration with the local authorities (Fire Brigade Services, local and district municipalities’ Disaster Management officials).

End.