CAL FIRE: MMU - Teaching fire safety

CalFire s Justin Buckingham helps Seth Frost work the fire hose.
(TWN photo/Emily Steege) (The Willits News)

Teaching fire safety: CalFire at Kinder Ranch

"Many families will be camping this season, and we want our preschoolers to know about fire safety," says Paulette Petrovich of Kinder Ranch Preschool and Daycare.

Recently the preschool invited Mike Montano and Justin Buckingham of the Mendocino Unit of CalFire to demonstrate fire safety to the youngsters. Each child was encouraged to practice with the hose used to extinguish fires.

Justin Buckingham donned full fire-protective gear to demonstrate what a fireman would look like coming into a house, so children would not be afraid in the event of an emergency. They practiced "stop, drop, and roll," while stressing respect for fire and the possible consequences of fire involvement.

The firemen asked the children to encourage their parents to test smoke alarms once a month and change smoke detector batteries when they change their clocks during seasonal time changes. They also urged families to make a fire plan in the event of an emergency, including a safe place to meet. They also discussed the appropriate use of 911, and what they would need to provide the emergency operator about their name, location, and what is happening.

In addition to a tour of a fire engine, and the use of the fire hose, each child was given a coloring book from Smokey the Bear to remind them of the fire safety tips they had learned that day.
Source: willitsnews.com - Link