ROCK SPRINGS — Yesterday, Rock Springs Firefighters had the chance to talk with students at Northpark Elementary School about Fire Prevention Week.
Stemming from the great Chicago fire of 1871, Fire Prevention Week has been an integral part of fire prevention safety training for not only children, but all individuals nationwide.
Firefighters Amy Taylor, Lance East, and Tony Colbert along with Sparky the Fire Dog spent the afternoon teaching students about ways they can detect, prevent, and stay safe during fires. This year’s theme, “Hear the Beep, Where you Sleep” was the main focus for yesterday’s assembly. Firefighters followed the ABC’s to proper fire detection and prevention, held a bucket brigade line, and presented giant-sized props for a game called Tool or Toy which allowed students the chance to identify potential fire hazards as opposed to actual toys. Fire Chief Wamsley also got involved by crawling with students under imitation smoke to depict how to crawl safely when stuck in a fire. Students finished the assembly with a high five from Sparky the Fire Dog and a tour of the Rock Springs fire truck.
Within the last 10 years or so, Colbert explains they have worked to make things more inviting and visual for the students as well as offer them the chance to participate. By doing so, Colbert believes students can retain more of what they’ve learned and most importantly, share that knowledge with family members. Fire Prevention Week spans not only to elementary schools, but to preschools as well. Colbert explains, “Our big push for the preschools is to come in and just put a face to the firefighter and present a friendly demeanor with the kids. We talk about smoke detectors and then we spend a lot of time talking about what the firefighter wears when they go to help if the smoke detector goes off.”
In all, the Rock Springs Fire Department expects to visit every elementary school and nearly every preschool within city limits which reaches over 2,000 students. Colbert explains, “We want to reduce fires, especially in the home. We want to increase awareness to things like smoke detectors and what to do during those events so people are safer.”
Fire Prevention Week is a national event that fire stations nationwide participate in. The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) is responsible for setting the theme of each Fire Prevention Week every year.
