Fire Safety Lesson Marks End Of ‘Real Rescue Heroes’ Series At The Library

By Larissa Lytwyn

“Fire Safety,” a program by Newtown Hook and Ladder Company fireman Steve Murphy culminated the C.H. Booth Library’s “Real Rescue Heroes” children’s series.

This summer, families have heard presentations by Mike McCarthy of Newtown Underwater Search and Rescue and Newtown Ambulance.

Mr Murphy taught two programs, one for children ages 3 to 5, the other for children ages 6 and up.

For the younger children, Mr Murphy donned all his firefighting gear to show students that he was a “friend,” not someone to be scared of or intimidated by.

“So, if you see me in your house during a fire, are you going to run away?” Mr Murphy asked.

“No,” the children chorused.

“Right,” said Mr Murphy, “You’re going to tell me to come over and help you! I’m here to help!”

He also showed the audience a special beeper attached to his air supply tank that blinks bright red and produces an increasingly louder wail that is triggered by sensors if Mr Murphy stops moving.

“That way, other firefighters can help me if I’m down,” he said.

Mr Murphy also showed the group a pump fire truck. Children even had the opportunity to hold and spray the hose.

“I was always under the impression that the hoses were very powerful, that you could barely even hang onto it,” noted one mother, Tanya Capeci. “But it varies, I can see, through the size of the hose and how [hard] the water is being pumped.”

About 500 gallons are stored in the heart of a pump truck, said Mr Murphy. “It’s like a little swimming pool,” he said.

Water is replenished through other trucks’ supplies or through fire hydrants.

Newtown Hook and Ladder, as well as the town’s other fire companies, are all volunteer run.

When a call comes in, the volunteer firefighters, most of whom work other jobs, are notified through beepers they all carry.

Volunteer fire companies from surrounding towns including Brookfield, Monroe, and Bethel all join in to help fight an especially large fire, said Mr Murphy.

Volunteers train through simulated emergency calls about once each month.

New firefighters must take a state mandated exam, as well as undergo over 400 hours of medical and safety training before becoming certified.

“This was a great program,” said mother Amanda Kahn. “I learned a lot myself! The kids really enjoyed it, too. It was a very informative, well done program, a lot of fun.”