This past weekend, Nyanga learners participated in an important workshop on fire awareness and safety. The workshop was conducted by the City of Cape Town’s fire and rescue services, represented by Ms Nombeko Kopele. The learners gathered in their usual tutoring venue at Zolani Centre and learnt interesting and important realities about fire.
The workshop is very relevant to the learners because fire is a real part of many of their lives as some have had their homes destroyed by it. The workshop covered useful practices to engage in when working with fire, including how to handle live flame, such as candles and some lamps; first aid when someone has been subjected to burns and the reporting protocol when there is a fire. The learners got to see pictures of fires in a variety of settings, such as veld and mountain fires, fires in informal settlements and other kinds of buildings, and visually learnt about the kind of devastation fire can cause.
Ms Kopele divided the learners into different groups and the grade 11 and 12 session doubled up as a career guidance workshop, as she spoke to them about fire fighting as a career path that is open to them post Matric. The learners had many questions about the subject choices they should make in order to work in this field and also the benefits of being a fire-fighter. Ms Kopele was up to the task and answered all the questions posed to her. At the end of the workshop were 90 Ikamvanites well informed about fire safety and protocols.
A very special thank you to the City of Cape Town for delivering this important workshop to the Nyanganites.
Lloyd Lungu