This week was more Fire Prevention Week (it's a long week). Even though our department isn't full time, we still take on the job of providing fire safety education to the schoolkids in town. Tuesday we were at the elementary school, teaching kids from Kindergarten (5) to 5th Grade (10) about the hazards in their home, and what to do if there is a fire.
We got to use a neat little thing called the Hazard House. This is basically a little dolls house with kitchen, living room, bedroom and so on. It has been wired with little 'smoke pots' that you fill with smoke oil, and then at the push of a button you can fill parts of it with smoke. Other hazards, like bad or overloaded wiring, gasoline stored in the basement, space heaters too close to curtains are all depicted and the kids can help you find and fix all of the various problems in the house. Then when they go home, they can 'educate' Mom and Dad to do the same.
We also talk a lot about what to do if there is a fire, having a family escape plan and meeting place and most importantly - having SMOKE DETECTORS. Every kid from the school took home a free smoke detector that day. Let's hope they all get put up on the ceiling and not just stuck in a box.
Anyway, it's a good thing to go out into the community and do something that can help to save lives, educates people a little, and is just plain fun.
If you have kids, I urge you to discuss with them what they should do when there is a fire - how to get out, and what to do if they cannot get out. Visit the fire station and meet a fireman. Kids die in fires because they hide under the bed or in a closet. The more they know, the better the chances of survival are. Yours, theirs, and also the firefighter's. If everyone gets out, we have to spend less time searching a building.
'nuf said.
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