News : Fun at the Fire Station

Children enjoying a chance to spray the fire hose at the station

Learning about the firemen's gear

Children practicing what to do in a room that is filling with smoke

Every year during Fire Prevention week I get a new appreciation for our volunteer fire department. Carving out time during the day to present fire safety to our children each fire fighter takes time to teach. Not the same old, "stop, drop and roll" and leaving it at that, but showing the students their equipment and explaining how it works.

The kids all got to spray a fire hose, and climb on the fire trucks, as well as put on the jackets and helmets. The most impressionable part I believe is the "smoke" filled room and having the kids understand the proper way to get out of a room with smoke, by dropping to the floor and crawling out...after they make sure the door is cool to the touch.

Sometimes some of the children get scared when they see the smoke, but not often. Most of the time the children understand when they see the "smoke" filling the room that this is training. With a fireman crawling across the floor in full gear toward them they are instructed to yell while they are on the floor so that the fireman can find them.

The firemen do an excellent job of explaining how everything works, what their tools are for and how to respond if a fire should happen at their house.

Remember, Thursday night at 7:00 p.m. practice with your children what to do if there is a fire in your home. Find a designated place outside the house where everyone should meet. Remember to turn on your porch light and let the fire department know that you are participating in Operation E.D.I.T.H.

Thank you once again Vinton Fire Department for all of the effort you put into educating our children this week.

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