News : Students visit fire station, ride trucks

Second grade students watch as Luke Henkle demonstrates the aerial ladder truck.

The students look up at the 110-foot ladder.

Josh McGowan explains how firemen use the large ladder.

Josh McGogan shows second grade students the saw firefighters use to cut holes in a roof.

A reminder of the flood that damaged the fire station...

Katie Lewis lets Luke Henkle know where she is as he demonstrates rescue from a smoke-filled room.

The students received flags to wave during their ride.

Mrs. Mathis' students wave from the fire truck.

Tilford students enjoyed the ride on the fire truck.

Celebrating Fire Prevention Week means a fire truck ride for first-grade students.

Firefighters help children climb the ladder to the top of the truck.

First grade students wave their flags from the fire truck as their ride around Vinton begins.

The rain stopped just in time Tueday afternoon to allow the first grade students their ride on the fire trucks. School leaders had just decided to cancel the traditional Fire Prevention Week event when the rain ended, allowing the students the chance to see their school and other parts of Vinton from atop a fire truck. Three trucks full of first graders made their way from the school to downtown Vinton.

Second grade students toured the fire station, where they saw a demonstration of how firemen look for people during a fire, as well as the equipment the firefighters use.

Firefighter Josh McGowan and Luke Henkle told the students that in a smoke-filled room, firemen cannot see anything, so they must work their way around a room, from right to left, keeping one hand on the wall. They told the students that it's best when trapped in a room to wait at the door, or if its not possible to get to the door, to stay near the wall.