They spend about
five minutes learning the elements of safety for the room they
are in. The children begin in the living room where they are
taught about fireplace safety, blocking exits, and dialing
9-1-1. Then the students move on to the kitchen where they are
taught about safety around the stove, electrical shock, and when
they should or should not use a fire extinguisher. The final
element of the fire safety trailer is to take the students
upstairs to the bedroom. The staff member talks with the
students about what to do if they ever hear their smoke detector
go off.
They then
simulate the room filling with smoke (theatrical smoke) and the
students have to practice crawling low to find the window. From
there, they climb down a ladder and go to their meeting place to
call 9-1-1! The fire safety trailer is used by approximately
500 kindergarten students every school year. The fire safety
trailer is owned by the Mohave County Fire Officers Association
and is shared by all fire departments within the county.
The Fifth Grade Fire Drill.
During the school year each fifth
grade class will put on a fire drill on their campus. One of
our schools has ten fifth-grade classes, so each month the fifth
graders do the fire drill. This is a two-hour class. As we
arrive we hand the teacher an assignment sheet for the class.
The teacher assigns each student a role during the fire drill.
This is done as we open the class and recap a fire drill from
start to end. There is strong student involvement, not just a
lecture format.
After a 45 minute preparation,
the students are ready for the drill. Students wear ID badges and are
reminded to look and act professional. After the drill all
students give an oral report on the drill. A form is completed
and provided to the principal. Now it’s time to drive the
message home.
A homework assignment is issued asking the student and family to design a home exit plan,
test their smoke detectors and conduct a home fire drill. A
return to the classroom seven days later allows us to review the
student’s plans and pass out rewards to the students that
returned the home work.
For more information or for forms and
questions, contact our public education office at Fire Station
Number Two by calling 928-754-2001.
Career Day for Fifth
Graders.
Each May, we schedule our fifth
graders to visit the fire station for career day, and a little
fun with water. First we visit their classrooms a week in
advance to explain what to wear and what they can bring and what
will be going on during their “career day visit.” Off duty
firefighters and parents assist with running the day.
When the students arrive we go
over the safety rules for the day. We then split the classes
into two groups Students are also divided into six or seven
member teams. We use numbered, color poker chips. We walk about
a half block to a park. We already have the two courses set up
at the park. One course is the Barrel Squirt which includes two
poles, a cable, barrel, 1 ½ inch hose lines, gated Y from 3"
main with a safety person. Teams are called up and fight
against each other. We use a matrix to track each winner and
select the overall rating. We use the chips to assist with
teams, numbers, colors, and boys against girls.
While half the school is fighting
the Barrel Squirt, the other half are on the Make N Brake/Bucket
Brigade. These teams have to connect three links of 1 ½ hose to
a safety gated Y, connect the nozzle, and drag the hose to the
start line, staying far behind it. The balance of the team gets
the buckets ready to fill from the 1 ½" and run down to the
large trash barrel. Again a matrix is used to call the teams up
to compete.
Halfway through the day, we take
a break. The students bring their lunch, along with drinking
water, and sun tan lotion.
Sixth Grade Education
Our sixth grade program is a 50
minute class. We use Fire Power from NFPA and go into great
detail about home fire safety and how many people die each year
in home fires. There is no homework for the sixth grade.
Seventh Grade Program
Our seventh grade program is more
about life safety. We cover in about an hour the eight
components of Risk Watch. With each topic, we review the
Arizona Child Fatality Review Board’s statistics from the
previous year’s report. We focus on the dangers of other
unintentional injuries to young teenagers. Students also read
articles about childhood fatalities. There is no homework.
Eighth Grade Class
Our eighth grader one hour class
is entitled “Consequences For Your Actions.” This custom video
program covers the dangers and the body’s reaction to drugs and
alcohol. Local firefighters, police officers, a doctor, a judge
and even a rehabilitated drug and alcohol user, each address the
students. Students will also read a few newspapers articles
about local children making bad decisions. There is a student
worksheet to be completed during the class and turned in to the
teacher.
Ninth Grade Exploring
Choices
Our ninth grade class continues with a one hour presentation
covering the dangers to high school students who make bad
choices. We also explore more consequences for unsafe actions.
Each story again features local firefighters, a newspaper
reporter, a grieving mom, and a grieving sister who witnessed
her older sister commit suicide in front of her. Each story
involves a child who went to or had the opportunity to go to our
local high school. This video and classroom participation are a
part of this class. Students also complete a worksheet during
the presentation and have a homework assignment of writing a two
page essay.
Fire station
tours are given to all kindergarten students within the district
at the end of the school year. It is a half day field trip for
the students. They get to see where the firefighters live, eat,
and work. The highlight of this trip is getting on the fire
engine and inside the ambulance. Station tours are also offered
for scout groups earning merit badges. 