Fire Prevention Week Highlighted By Visits To The Schools

By Eliza Hallabeck

Behind Head O’ Meadow School on Monday, October 12, three members of Dodgingtown Volunteer Fire Company waited for students to visit them for an introduction to fire prevention.

Monday’s event was not the only Fire Prevention Week highlight for students in the Newtown Public Schools. On Friday, October 16, members of Hook & Ladder Company visited classrooms, introduced students to different equipment, and brought a smoke machine in to teach the students how to “stay low and go.”

Both presentations were part of National Fire Prevention week, and students learned the safety precautions necessary for a safe response in an emergency situation.

Kindergarten students in Gail Diminico’s class were the last group of students to speak to the firefighters on Monday at Head O’ Meadow. One of the first things Lieutenant Kirk Blanchard, Rod Michael, and Brian Shimko went over with the students was the sound they should expect to hear from a fire alarm. Mr Blanchard explained that some fire alarms can sound different, and it is important to recognize a fire alarm noise.

“Are you guys allowed to play with these?” said Mr Blanchard, while holding up a lighter and a pack of matches. The students answered together with the word, “No.”

Mr Blanchard said it is important to tell a grownup when they find a lighter or a pack of matches.

“The next thing we will talk about is the telephone,” Mr Blanchard said. Mr Blanchard explained to the students that if they need an ambulance, firefighter or police officer, they should dial 911.

“What if your older brother or sister is having trouble with homework, is it okay to dial 911?” he asked. The students responded, “No.”

Students reviewed how to stop, drop, and roll. Mr Blanchard also told the students why they should “stay low and go” to get out of a house.

“Don’t hide and go outside,” Mr Blanchard said. He also asked the students to go home and talk to their parents about setting up a meeting place in the event of an emergency. Some students in the class said they already had an emergency meeting place to go to in an emergency situation and to meet with their parents.

Before the demonstration was over, students also had the chance to sit in the fire truck brought to the school for the day, and Mr Shimko demonstrated what a firefighter looks like when dressed in full gear.

At Hawley on Friday, Hook & Ladder Company member Ray Corbo waited outside with other members of the company to share information with kindergarten students. One class at a time, kindergarten students made their way outside to learn about the different equipment used, and the gear firefighters use to help them.

“We were talking about a few different things, detectors, 911, meeting places, and all that stuff, right?” Mr Corbo said. “Well when you guys go back inside, more firefighters are going to visit you and they are going to talk about that stuff a little more. So instead, we are going to talk about the truck.”

When asked, the students guessed correctly that the large thing on top of the truck is a ladder.

“That ladder goes 100 feet in the air,” said Mr Corbo. “That is higher than that steeple over there. That is pretty cool isn’t it?”

Tools, including an axe, a hook, and an air tank, were brought out from the truck to demonstrate some things firefighters use to do their job.

Inside Hawley Elementary School kindergarten teacher Marilyn Aylward’s classroom, students learned more about fire prevention from Chris Ward and Luke Duval.

Mr Ward asked what the students should do when they hear a fire detector go off.

“We go to a special meeting place without parents right?” asked Mr Ward. “We know where to go, whether it is a tree or a mailbox, or wherever it is. We know where to go, whenever we hear that sound go off, right?”

Mr Ward then asked if the students knew what number to call if there is smoke in a house.

“911,” they responded together.