Wildfires are one of the biggest natural hazards to threaten humanity and our environment. Whether the uncontrolled fires occur in forests, mountains or parks and are caused by lightning, lava or humans, they generally destroy the environment and put lives in danger.

So, how can we be ready for a fire? What do we do in the event of a wildfire?

Most importantly, how can children survive wildfires if an adult is not around?

‘’The real life story illustrations show children the meaning of hope and humanity in disaster readiness, response and rebuilding their communities by caring for themselves, others, animals and the environment.’’

Prof Antoinette Lombard (Department of Social Work and Criminology, UP) joined the COPE Disaster Team – a group of international scholars who write and publish a series of educational and beautifully illustrated books aimed at capturing children’s imaginations and increasing their disaster resilience. When Prof Lombard met the editor of the book series, Prof Timothy Sim, she was inspired by his interventions to assist families and communities affected by the horrific 2008 earthquake in Wenchuan. She was also inspired by the child-friendly research reports they produced about earthquakes and what to do in such an event. Prof Sim introduced Prof Lombard to the published COPE series and the two scholars agreed for her to join the team and work on a book about coping in the event of a wildfire.

The core COPE team includes:

• Martha Keswick – who is the author of the popular bilingual Max and Mei picture book series and the action-packed Pangu comic book series.

• Mariko Jesse – a commercial illustrator who specialises in projects about food, lifestyle and travel. She has worked for many international clients, including VOGUE, Tiffany and Co., The Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group, UNITED airlines and the BBC.

• Tim Sim – an international expert in the area of disaster management, practice research and family therapy. He has worked at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University (which, like UP, is part of the University Social Responsibility (USR) Network) and is now based at the Singapore University of Social Sciences

Voila!

The free-to-download book titled Be ready for disasters- Wildfires teaches children how wildfires happen, how to prepare for them, what to do in the event of a wildfire, and how to help rebuild communities after a fire.

Like all other COPE books, it is written primarily in English but is also available in other official languages that can be requested here.

The book targets young readers aged 9 to 11 and adults reading to children aged 4 to 8. The authors used real-life disaster stories, easy-to-read words, and pictures to illustrate the stories. According to Prof Lombard, ‘’the real life story illustrations shows children the meaning of hope and humanity in disaster readiness, response and rebuilding their communities by caring for themselves, others, animals and the environment’’. However, people of all ages can enjoy and use this book to raise awareness about disaster preparedness and community response. The books are also used in education settings, including early childhood centres, schools and university students incorporate it into their fieldwork assignments.

Download a copy

for your children, nieces and nephews, learners, and friends!

THIS BOOK MAY SAVE THEIR LIVES!

The story is located in South Africa and San Francisco (USA). As an external collaborator, Prof Lombard’s task was to provide key information about wildfires in South Africa – she drew specifically from the recent Knysna fires - and the impact they have on families, communities, animals, the environment, and society. She was also inspired by the Working on Fire team, a group of young firefighters who helped to extinguish the fires in Knysna. She believes the team’s commitment and relentless efforts to stop the fires should be an inspiration to all.

According to the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (2015-2030), which was adopted at the third United Nations World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction in March 2015, children have a vital role to play in reducing risk, strengthening community resilience and shaping legislation to protect communities against disasters. That is why COPE was developed – to empower children around the world to become disaster-resilient champions!

Institutions like UNICEF, the World Meteorological Organization and the San Francisco Department of Public Health partnered with COPE to help create a global children's disaster risk reduction brand and raise awareness about disaster control around the world. UP joined this project to help raise awareness about wildfires and support the principle that children have a vital role in reducing risk and strengthening community resilience against disasters. The COPE squad received training on wildfires at UP and implemented their knowledge and skills when they were called to San Francisco to assist communities after wildfires broke out there.

We would like to congratulate Prof Lombard and the Department of Social Work & Criminology for being part of this sterling educational project! The book can be downloaded here or via the ESI Press site.