COMMUNITY-BASED FIRE MANAGEMENT
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Children and Youth
Wildfire can affect all sectors of society, from the elderly through to young children. Children are extremely vulnerable to wildfire and fire-related natural disaster and global statistics consistently demonstrate that children constitute a significant percentage of wildfire victims, in terms of fatalities or injuries. The need to educate children about wildfire is extremely pressing. Below are a selection of resources relating to children and wildfire.
Understanding Landscape Fires – An Online Resource Designed by GFMC
In January 2020 the GFMC published a web page as part of the BeSafeNet to provide basic understanding of the fundamentals of landscape fire and how people can protect themselves and their assets from the threats of wildfires. The website is tailored for high school students (age 15-17 years):
The website is available in four languages:
English, French, Greek, Italian and Russian
http://www.besafenet.net/en-gb/natural-hazards-landscape-fires
Disaster Prevention, Education and Youth: Wildfires
The 2000 United Nations World Disaster Reduction Campaign addressed Wildfire Disaster Prevention, Education and Youth – a joint initiative with GFMC:
Poster of the International Day for Disaster Reduction 2000
The materials provided by the campaign “Wildfire Disaster Prevention, Education and Youth” include materials for younger kids and for high schools:
- What do you know about fire hazards? An illustrated brochure for schoolkids (PDF, 3.0 MB)
- Detailed introduction and background information on global fires and examples of integrated fire management in various continents (PDF, 1.8 MB)
Resources
-
Un Incendio Menos un Bosque Más. Fire prevention campaign 2013
Teachers book (PDF, 6MB)
Students book (PDF, 1.5MB)
- Wildfire and Youth – Raising of Public Awareness on the Ecological Effects of Forest Fires and on Forest Fire Prevention (JPG, 1.5 MB)
- Firewise Activity Book
Working on Fire, South Africa (PDF, 5 MB)
- Firewise Teacher’s Guide
Working on Fire, South Africa (PDF, 4 MB)
- Destruction and Renewal by Forst Fires (in German: Vernichtung und Erneuerung durch Waldbrände)
Teaching materials for High Schools (in German) (PDF, 3.2 MB)
- Mit Feuer Spielen /Lernmodell Feuer: Ein Überblick
Von Kain Karawahn (https://mitfeuerspielen.de/); Theorie & Praxis der Beziehung Mensch & Feuer in bildender & darstellender Kunst, Pädagogik & Philosophie. Vermittlung kultureller & künstlerischer Feuerkompetenz in Kita, Schule, Universität & Erwachsenenbildung (Kurzfassung 28. Februar 2022) (in German)
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- Goldammer, J.G. 2023. Mitschnitt aus einem Funkgespräch zwischen Phönix und der Gartengemeinschaft Malepunke in der Nähe der Dörfer Trottelbach und Pfiffigsgrün. In: brennWEITEN. Ein Feuerbuch. (K. Karawahn, Hrsg.), 2 p. Göttinger Verlag der Kunst. ISBN 978-3-945869-15-4.
- Chile: Club Forestin
http://www.clubforestin.cl/ - Children´s Action for Disaster Risk Reduction: Views from Children in Asia (UNISDR, 2012) (PDF, 3.1MB)
- ‘Here for Each Other’ – Information booklet to help young children and their parents who have experienced an emergency or natural disaster. Created by Sesame Street and adapted by the Victorian Department of Education (PDF, 3.2 MB)
- Plan International Report ‘Child-Centred Disaster Reduction: Building Resilience Through Participation’ (PDF, 1.3 MB)
- Australian Red Cross Factsheet ‘How to Talk to Children in Emergencies: Parent’s Guide’
(PDF, 161 KB) - ABC Local Radio, Australia – Interview with Dr Susie Burke ‘Disaster management for children’
(MP3, 7.8 MB) - ‘Psychosocial Correlates of Fire Disaster Among Children and Adolescents’ (Jones, R.T., Ribbe, D.P. and Cunningham, P., Journal of Traumatic Stress, Vol. 7, No. 1, 1994) (PDF, 263 KB)
- ‘Posttraumatic Phenomena in a Longitudinal Study of Children Following a Natural Disaster’ (McFarlane, A.C., Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, Vol. 26, No.5, 1987)
(PDF, 496 KB) - ‘Fire and Children: Learning Survival Skills’(Block, J. H, USDA Forest Service Research Paper, 1976) (PDF, 481 KB)
- Il bosco e il fuoco(> bambini) (Corpo Forestale delle Stato, Italy) (PDF, 03. MB)
- A Kids Guide to Forest Fires: The following collection of websites will help kids to learn more about the causes of forest fires, how they can be prevented and how some fires can benefit a forest ecosystem: http://www.treeremoval.com/kids-guide-to-forest-fires/
Media about fires and children
2011|2012|2013|2014|2015|2016|2017|2018|2019|2020
2021
- USA – Fire Festival organizers teach kids that not all forest fires are cause for alarm (Published by https://fox28media.com/ 09 October 2021)
- AUSTRALIA – Babies born in 2021 ‘will endure seven times more heatwaves than their grandparents’ (Published by https://www.news.com.au/ 29 September 2021)
- USA – Protecting Rural Schoolchildren from Prescribed Fire Emissions (Published by https://rh.gatech.edu/ 22 September 2021)
- MONGOLIA – Children’s Nature and Ecological Education by the Mongolian National Broadcaster (MNB): Learning about tree species, age, growth, determining fire history, the interaction of forest fire and wildlife and how kids can prevent their forests from fires (Regional Central Asia Fire Management Resource Center and MNB, broadcasted on 25 June 2021, available on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Zvw351n3DQ) [20 min])
- AUSTRALIA – Call for more kids’ mental health support after coronavirus and bushfires (Published by https://www.theage.com.au 09 May 2021)
- AUSTRALIA – New Minecraft world from NRMA Insurance teaches Aussie kids the importance of bushfire preparedness (Published by https://www.iag.com.au/ 20 April 2021)
- AUSTRALIA – Kids bushfire recovery funding dries up (Published by https://thewest.com.au/ 4 April 2021)
2020
- AUSTRALIA – Gingin students buffeted by recent fire events get a push along to be volunteer firefighters (Published by https://www.abc.net.au/ 20 September 2020)
- USA – As California Wildfire Seasons Worsen, What’s The Impact On Children’s Health Long-Term? (Published by https://www.capradio.org/ 25 August 2020)
- AUSTRALIA – Children’s bushfire fears triggered by fog, clouds, more than six months on from Canberra’s horror summer (Published by https://www.abc.net.au/ 24 August 2020)
- AUSTRALIA – 1 in 10 children affected by bushfires is Indigenous. We’ve been ignoring them for too long (Published by https://theconversation.com 02 April 2020)
- GLOBAL – Bushfire education is too abstract. We need to get children into the real world (Published by https://theconversation.com 21 January 2020)
2019
- AUSTRALIA – Bushfires can make kids scared and anxious: here are 5 steps to help them cope (Published by The Conversation, 13 November 2019)
- SOUTH AFRICA: The Southern Africa Firefighters Youth Development Association (SAFYDA) Fire Fighting Cadet programme for children from 12 to18 years old (Published by https://www.frimedia.org/ 12 July 2019)
- AUSTRALIA: Wildfires take a toll on students’ test scores years after the smoke clears (Published by https://www.theverge.com/ 24 January 2019)
2018
- USA: Psychotherapist’s tips on what to tell kids about fire (Published by https://www.aspentimes.com/ 06 July 2018)
- USA: Bear cub with burnt paws rescued from raging wildfires (Published by https://nypost.com/ 30 June 2018)
- AUSTRALIA: Scotsburn community leaders develops a board game to help educate children about fire preparedness (Published by https://www.thecourier.com.au/ 15 June 2018)
- MEXICO: Bear cub escaping from forest fire in Ocampo is rescued (Published by https://www.siglo.mx/ 04 June 2018)
- SOUTH AFRICA: Beanies and scarves to help orphaned children in Alex fend off biting cold (Published by https://alexnews.co.za/ 15 May 2018)
- AUSTRALIA: Connecting the classroom with the community – natural disaster education (Published by https://www.teachermagazine.com.au/ 08 May 2018)
- AUSTRALIA: Children aren’t liabilities in disasters – they can help, if we let them (Published by https://theconversation.com/ 04 April 2018)
- USA: Federal help available to California schools struggling with wildfire costs (published by https://edsource.org/ 26 March 2018)
- USA: Sonoma County schools keep eye on student behavior after wildfires (Published by http://www.pressdemocrat.com/ 21 January 2018)
2017
- USA: Idaho bills parent of juvenile $84,500 following wildfire (published by http://katu.com 10 September 2017)
- USA: Public demands consequences for 15-year-old Eagle Creek fire suspect (published by http://www.oregonlive.com 07 September 2017)
- Australia: Bushfire safety tips specific to Queensland’s country kids delivered by new mascot, Bushy (published by http://www.abc.net.au 07 September 2017)
- USA: Scout’s honor: West Seattle Boy Scouts stop wildfire (published by http://www.king5.com 14 August 2017)
- Indonesia: Pushing haze safety for Indonesian kids (published by http://reliefweb.int 06 June 2017)
- USA: Wildfire Awareness Month Coloring Contest winners announced (published by http://www.bhpioneer.com 01 June 2017)
- USA: Wildfires fan students’ smoke-detection project (published by http://www.wsoctv.com 30 May 2017)
- USA: Groups help kids cope with trauma after Sevier County wildfires (published by http://wate.com 13 April 2017)
- Australia: Student-led dance explores the regenerative power of bushfires (published by http://au.educationhq.com 10 April 2017)
- India: Prevention of forest fires should be taught in schools: report (published by http://indianexpress.com 30 March 2017)
- Australia: Farrer students offer help to cassilis fire victims (published by http://www.northerndailyleader.com.au 20 February 2017)
- Germany: Learning to play with fire. Workshops in Germany aim to prevent tragedies with controlled blazes (published by New York Times, 28 February 2017)
- New Zealand: 6-year-old boy takes action over paddock fire (published by http://www.stuff.co.nz 27 January 2017)
- Australia: Bush fire awareness: considering the children (published by http://www.winghamchronicle.com.au 19 January 2017)
2016
- USA: Bear burned by wildfire as a cub released back into the wild (published by http://www.fox25boston.com 28 Deceember 2016)
- Australia: Involve your children in your bushfire survival plans, psychologist urges (published by http://www.abc.net.au 22 Deceember 2016)
- USA: Siskin limiting outdoor play because of wildfire smoke in area (published by http://newschannel9.com 11 November 2016)
- Pakistan: Forest fire in talash valley brought under control after 48 hours (published by https://www.thenews.com.pk 09 November 2016)
- USA: More than fifty children checked out of CSAS for wildfire-related smoke in classrooms (published by http://newschannel9.com 07 November 2016)
- Indonesia: Parents who say Indonesias haze killed their children testify in citizen suit (published by https://news.mongabay.com 04 November 2016)
- India: According To A UNICEF Report, Almost Two Billion Children In North India Are Breathing Toxic Air (published by www.indiatimes.com 31 October 2016)
- Australia: New thrust in rural fire education (published by www.canberratimes.com.au 29 October 2016)
- Australia: Yarloop fires inspire Mandurah Baptist College Youth on Health resilience performance (published by www.communitynews.com.au 27 October 2016)
- Australia: Students at scaddan’s lucky primary school well drilled ahead of tough wa bushfire season (published by http://www.abc.net.au 25 October 2016)
- USA: US forest service helps educate students at worlds largest conservation event (published by http://blogs.usda.gov 13 October 2016)
- USA: Drought and fire-ravaged forests provide hands-on environmental learning (published by http://www.scpr.org 23 September 2016)
- USA: Sixth-grader invents forest fire prevention device (published by http://www.idahoednews.org 19 September 2016)
- Singapore: Making sure haze won’t cloud exam season (published by http://www.straitstimes.com 13 September 2016)
- Australia: Education department reviews makes 22 new recommendations for improving communication with schools during bushfires (published by http://www.adelaidenow.com.au 08 September 2016)
- Australia: Manly Vale Public School: ‘Do not murder our children with this plan’ (published by www.canberratimes.com.au 14 June 2016)
- Brazil: Fancy a shell-fie? Tortoise receives first ever custom-made 3D prosthetic covering to replace its armour after it was burnt off in a bush fire (published by www.dailymail.co.uk 22 May 2016)
- USA: Youngster honored for alerting Beacon Fire Department to forest fire(published by www.midhudsonnews.com 24 April 2016)
- Australia: A team of Australian vets have skipped a bushfire evacuation to care for the local wildlife (published by http://www.thejournal.ie 25 January 2016)
- Australia: Heartbreaking photo shows a baby kangaroo wrapped in bandages after surviving the brutal ‘demon’ bushfire in Western Australia (published by http://www.dailymail.co.uk 21 January 2016)
2015
- Children’s Book Review: ‘Fire Birds: Valuing Natural Wildfires And Burned Forests’ (published by http://mtpr.org 15 September 2015)
- USA: Two Boy Scouts Save Their Neighborhood From A Grass Fire (published by www.kten.com 29 July 2015)
- Australia: Fire safety starts with kids (published by www.psnews.com.aub 02 July 2015)
- USA: Bear cub badly burned in Washington state blaze released back into wild (published by http://planetark.org 05 June 2015)
- Australia: Teenage ‘self-esteem’ a lingering casualty of Sampson Flat bushfires in South Australia (published by www.abc.net.au 23 April 2015)
- Australia: Pupils return to Kersbrook Primary School after Adelaide Hills bushfires (published by https://au.gwn7 27 January 2015)
- India: Mangaluru: Fire near school continues for two days, kids swing into action (published by www.daijiworld.com 13 January 2015)
2014
- USA: Bear cub burned in last summers Methow Valley wildfire is heading to Idaho (published by http://seattletimes.com 22 November 2014)
- USA: Bear cub burned in wildfire continues recovery in Tahoe area center (published by www.rgj.com 17 August 2014)
- USA: Smokey Bear, iconic symbol of wildfire prevention, still going strong at 70 (published by www.fs.fed.us 07 August 2014)
- USA: Orphaned bear cub escapes wildfire with badly burned paws (published by www.komonews.com 05 August 2014)
- USA : A plane view about wildland firefighting and a new disney movie(published by http://blogs.usda.gov 18 July 2014)
- Thailand: Thailand: Pupils flee huge grass field fire (published by www.bangkokpost.com 13 May 2014)
- Argentina: Niños evitaron incendio forestal (published by www.ushuaianoticias.com 10 March 2014)
- USA: Sneak peek: Erik Estrada flies in ‘Planes’ sequel (published by www.wisconsinrapidstribune.com 09 March 2014)
- Australia: Meet the 12-year-old firefighter, Caitlin Holt, who helped tackle the Eden Valley bushfire (published by www.news.com.au 27 January 2014)
2013
- USA: ICC Wildland Fire Program ranked in top 25 as most popular for women (published by www.grandrapidsmn.com 03 December 2013)
- USA: Children help out Black Forest fire victims for the holidays (published by http://denver.cbslocal.com 02 December 2013)
- Australia: Students raise more than $2500 for bushfire appeal (published by www.whyallanewsonline.com.au 20 November 2013)
- Australia: Children from Black Saturday bushfire areas are doing it tough (published by www.dailytelegraph.com.au, 22 September 2013)
- Australia: Bushfire program for children (published by http://www.abc.net.au 30 August 2013)
- South Africa: Dangers of forest fires in the spotlight(published by www.zoutnet.co.za, 26 June 2013)
- Australia: Bushfire impact study (published by www.themercury.com.au, 04 June 2013)
- Spain: Más de 300 niños participan en un concurso de pintura organizado para concienciar sobre la prevención de incendios (published by www.europapress.es 26 May 2013)
- USA: Youngsters learn the bear necessities of fire safety, prevention (published by www.westyellowstonenews.com 26 April 2013)
- Spain: Unos 450 alumnos participan en Casar de Cáceres en unas jornadas sobre prevención de incendios forestales ( published by www.noticias.lainformacion.com 10 April 2013)
- USA: Smokey Bear, Forest Service visit homeschool group to teach about fires, planting (published by www.jacksonvilleprogress.com 25 March 2013)
2012
- USA: Gila National Forest will hold firefighter training for students (published by www.scsun-news.com, 21 November 2012)
- USA: Burned bobcat kitten rescued from Chips Fire (published by www.kval.com, 8 August 2012)
- USA: Forest fire burns bear cub’s paws (published by www.kval.com, 28 August 2012)
- USA: Students learn about wildland fire safety (published by www.paradisepost.com, 24 August 2012)
- USA: Teenager responsible for sparking Rise fire (published by www.vernonmorningstar.com, 19 August 2012)
- USA: Forest Fires Become Learning Opportunity for Native American Teenagers Through Colorado State University STEM Program (published by www.news.colostate.edu, 25 July 2012)
- Australia: Black Saturday: Bushfire children face ‘toughest year’ (published by www.northernweekly.com.au, 07 May 2012)
- USA: Arson Awareness Week meant to draw attention to children who play with fire (published by http://news-herald.com, 06 May 2012)
- USA: Firewise kids (published by www.dailytidings.com, 04 May 2012)
- USA: Arson Awareness Week meant to draw attention to children who play with fire (published byhttp://news-herald.com, 06 May 2012)
- USA: Firewise kids (published by www.dailytidings.com, 04 May 2012)
- Australia: Children and young people have different needs to adults (published by www.onlineopinion.com.au, 02 May 2012)
- Australia: Fire children’s support (published by www.margaretrivermail.com.au, 02 May 2012
- USA: Smokey helps children learn fire safety (published by www.recorderonline.com, 19 March 2012)
- USA: Parents liability limited when kids start fires (published by www.rapidcityjournal.com, 19 March 2012)
- Australia: Bushfire-prone schools plan for ‘catastrophic’ blazes (Published by www.theherald.com.au 27 February 2012)
2011
- Australia: Harden up Kids how to prepare children to cope with disasters: http://hardenup.org/harden-up-kids.aspx
- United Nations: Join us on 13 October 2011 for the International Day for Disaster Reduction. Step Up for Disaster Risk Reduction! This year it’s about CHILDREN and YOUNG PEOPLE as partners for Disaster Risk Reduction! (published by www.unisdr.org/2011/iddr/ October 2011)
- Australia: Elmo, Big Bird lend a hand (published by www.smh.com.au 25 August 2011)
- Australia: Tuning in to traumatised kids (published by www.whittlesea-leader.whereilive.com.au, 09 March 2011)
- USA: Poster winners honored; CAL FIRE gives awards to fourth-graders (published by www.visaliatimesdelta.com, 05 May 2011)
- USA: First-grade class celebrates winning fire safety poster contest with pizza party (published by www.dcourier.com, 26 March 2011)
- USA: Students fight fire and work with national organization (published by www.thepinelog.com, 24 February 2011)
- Australia: Children and disasters (published by www.media-newswire.com, 21 January 2011)
- Australia: How to Help Kids Cope with Disaster: Ten Tips from Save the Children (published by www.psychology.org.au, 11 January 2011)
- Australia: How to Help Kids Cope with Disaster: Ten Tips from Save the Children (published by www.psychology.org.au, 11 January 2011)