Firefighters visit school to teach children fire safety

  All eyes were on Rural/Metro firefighters Patrick Wicks and Adam Wilson as they spoke to several classes of preschoolers and kindergartners at the Learning Pad on Tuesday morning as part of National Fire Prevention Week.

  "When you call 911, the fire truck comes," Wilson explained to the children. "And when we get a call we have to put all this gear on, which is like a heavy blanket, so we don't catch fire and burn."

  To show the classes what firefighters looked like when dressed in their firefighting outfits, Wilson and Wicks took turns putting on their turnout gear - including the bunker pants , jacket, air pack and mask.

  "You can hardly hear me," Wilson said to the class after putting his mask on.

  Afterwards, Wilson and Wicks dressed up some of the children in their gear, including the bunker pants, boots and the jacket.

  When they were done, they showed the children the fire truck and ambulance they had brought to the school.

  "This is what I drive," Wicks said. "And it carries a lot of water."

  Going around the truck Wicks explained to the children what the equipment was used for. Wilson lifted several of the children up to let them seat in the driver seat of the fire truck.

  Rosa Sedano, who works in marketing for Rural/Metro, said the observance was a great way to share of the most basic information about fire prevention and safety.

  "It's just a great way to get involved with the community and to educate the children about fire safety," Sedano said.

  Meanwhile, inside the building, other firefighters sat together with children on the floor inside the classrooms and went over some important fire facts for children.

  Given the best way to teach children what to do in a fire is to show them exactly what to do, the firefighters also showed the children how to stop, drop and roll and how to crawl out of a smoke-filled room.

  Preschool teacher Lynette Crawford she was pleased Rural/Metro was using the observance to educate children about fire safety.

  "It is emphasizing what they should do and who they should call in an emergency," Crawford said.

  She added that small children can often be afraid of firemen when they are dressed in the fire protection gear, so seeing them now during these visits to schools will help alleviate those fears.

  Rural/Metro firefighters and employees visited four classrooms: three with preschool children and one with kindergartners.

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James Gilbert can be reached at jgilbert@yumasun.com or 539-6854.