October Marks The Return Of Fire Safety Month

By Susan Coney

October is Fire Safety Month, which provides a yearly reminder to review life-saving lessons with youngsters. On Monday, October 17, Dodgingtown Volunteer Fire Company provided lessons in fire safety to students in kindergarten through second grade at Head O’ Meadow Elementary School.

Volunteer firefighters Kirk Blanchard, Tony Cuomo, Jason Shuttleworth, Nick Paproski, and Katie Rose Crevier spent a good part of Monday teaching, practicing, and reviewing fire safety rules with the children.

In a animated manner firefighter Tony Cuomo emphasized to the students the following rules: families should plan and practice escape routes from every room in the home; escape first and then notify the fire department by calling 911 from a safe location; never open doors that are hot to the touch; practice the stop, drop, and roll technique in the event that clothing catches fire; designate a meeting place outside the home and teach children to never reenter the home; and explain to children that they should not hide in the home during a fire. These crucial lessons serve as good reminders to all about refreshing our skills within our own families when it comes to practicing fire safety.

As part of the lesson given at the school, Mr Cuomo explained to the youngsters all of the equipment and clothing that firefighters wear to protect themselves when doing their job. As he explained such items as the hood, helmet, and air packs typically worn by firefighters, volunteer Jason Shuttleworth dressed up to show the children visually that it is just a person in the uniform and to emphasize that nobody should be scared of a firefighter. Mr Shuttleworth crawled on the ground in front of the children allowing them to touch his helmet and uniform, reassuring them that the firefighter is there to help families.

After the lesson the students had the opportunity to climb on the enormous fire truck and each received a firefighter’s hat.