Preschool through second grade students at Wessington Springs Elementary School learned some valuable lessons and had loads of fun during a visit from the Wessington Springs Volunteer Fire Department (WSVFD) last month. To celebrate National Fire Prevention Week, two WSVFD firemen delivered a presentation packed with kid-friendly information followed by activities to help make children comfortable with their local first responders. “Every year in October, we go out and educate the kids that the safest way to deal with fire is to prevent it from happening,” said WSVFD Chief Jim Vavra. “That means not playing with matches and making sure adults are around when doing anything with heat.” Touching on this year’s theme, “Cooking safety starts with you,” firemen also talked about safety in the kitchen. According to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), cooking is the leading cause of home fires, with nearly half (49 percent) of all home fires involving cooking equipment; cooking is also the leading cause of home fire injuries.
“We also talked to kids about what to do if there is a fire in your house. If the door is closed and hot, keep it closed and stay in your room. Don’t hide so we can find you. Stay low,” Vavra explained. “We also stressed the importance of having a meeting place outside for the family.”
Firefighters dressed in their heavy gear, with coats, masks and oxygen tanks, can be frightening to young children. Compared to older kids, children ages four and under have the highest risk of dying in a fire, and that’s partly because they hide — from both the fire and firefighters. Many firefighters report having to search for kids in a house fire because they will commonly hide under furniture or in closets.
“As kids learn about and see firefighter gear firsthand in a safe environment, they learn that firefighters aren’t people to fear,” Vavra points out.
