A novel way to highlight the dangers of wildfire

South Wales Fire and Rescue Service has worked with local primary school children to write a children’s book about the dangers of deliberate fire setting ahead of the start of wildfire season.

Children from six primary schools across Rhondda Cynon Taff worked together with local experts to write the tale of a tortoise named Lula, who has a close brush with wildfire on her quest to find warmth.

Station Manager Mike Hill from the service’s Arson Reduction Team led the project, partnering with staff from Natural Resources Wales and South Wales Police. They worked with the children over eight creative writing sessions to write Lula and the Flame, a bi-lingual book that will be used as an educational tool by local authorities, emergency services, and other schools, to teach children about the dangers of fire.

The story follows a tortoise called Lula who, tempted by a friendly but unattended flame in the woods, lights the end of a twig to keep warm – freeing the flame from its stone circle. Lula comes across an angry badger, who scolds her for her naivety:

“Do you have any idea what fire can do to these woods? It only takes one spark, you know.”

The fire quickly becomes out of control, and the animals within the forest are forced to run for their lives.

Fire services across Wales tackle deliberate grass fires year on year during the spring season; caused by a mixture of anti-social behaviour, householders burning refuse waste, and farmers and landowners burning grassland outside the permitted winter burn dates.

“Our aim is to reduce the uncontrolled environmental destruction and potential threat to lives and property arising from deliberately set grass fires.

“We had input from experts both inside and outside of SWFRS. An ecologist from Natural Resources Wales came in to discuss everything ecology: teaching the kids about how plants and wildlife can be affected by wildfire. The police gave their input, and obviously our knowledge of the dangers of wildfire was paramount to the plot of the story.”

Mike Hill, Station Manager, South Wales Fire and Rescue Service.

The book will be presented to the children from the six primary schools with the service thanking the children for their creativity, and helping to spread the word on the dangers of anti-social behaviour and deliberate fires.

For further reading, check out our recent story on how the coastguard, fire, mountain rescue and other agencies gathered on Lindisfarne off the coast of Northumberland, to test tactics to deal with wildfires and protect this area of outstanding natural beauty in the coming months. Read more here about this multi-agency approach.