Fire Prevention for grade schools

[Fyrebugg41]

I just took over Fire Prevention Coordinator for my department, and i'm wondering if anyone has any ideas for a presentation. I need ideas for kids from the ages of 5 - 20. Something that they won't be bored with, something the older kids won't make fun of. Cuz i take this stuff so seriously, and i want them to also. Especially the older bunch.

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~*That's why we're here, to help those in need, we're not here for money, fame, or greed..To help those fellow friends, who can't help themselves..We're volunteers because we care, because we want to help, to help others who are in need, not for ourselves*~

[DavesNavy]

You don't mention whether or not you have a budget available. One of the best sources for free fire-safety related info is your local Allstate Insurance Agent (no I am not affiliated) Allstate produces tons of great free stuff for use by fire dept's. If you have any money available and want to have a significant impact on the safety of the children in your community, look up information on the Risk Watch Program available from the NFPA at www.nfpa.org. (http://www.nfpa.org.)
These are just two places to start. Good luck.

[Boots]

WE USED CHARACTERIZATION PROGRAMS TO REACH ALL AGES. WE TAYLOR PROGRAM AND GROUP SIZE TO DIFFERENT AGE BRACKETS. ANOTHER GREAT TOOL I'VE FOUND TO REACH THE OLDER ONES IS BY HOOKING UP WITH SCHOOL SCIENCE FAIRS, CAREER DAYS, BECOMING INVOLVED WITH JR. LEADERSHIP GROUPS, AND SHAWDOWING PROJECTS. GOOD LUCK AND WELCOME ABOARD..

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[radar81]

Ive just also taken over my fire prevention program in my dept and I have improved it.

Your Approch has to be diffrent for certian age group 4-8 they lose intrest real fast keep the class room stuff short but sweet I mostly show this age group sparkys ABC of fire its a cartoons and get the point across then show them the trucks and a little ride around the hall end of tour they learn the stuff pretty well

for older groups say 8 - adults you can go way more in depth go though the fire triangle litle bit of Fire behavour but just enought that we DONT bore them to deth then I have a box with some burned items from a house ie for hit playing with match.. the burned cd, burned nintendo etc stuff they can relate to. then we go in to some fire extingusher training they seem to love it we built a burn pan and we do a demo they tell us the steps of how to use the extingusher. works great then drill them after then what the learned.

Hope this helps

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[The Snake Man]

As the person responsible in my district for education in the schools I find that hands on works well. The only problem is that you need alot of FF and supervision. Example: fire extinguisher operation to 4 and 5 grade. Bring a metal pan. Mix diesel and gasoline at the proper mixture. Set the pan in a clear area down wind from the kids. You must have an engine company standing by with a charged line read to go. NOTE: the engine company is for the lighting firefirghter more than any thing. If done safe its fun, exciting and everytime you go to the school to do fire drills they will catch you in the hall and act like they have forgoten how to use the extinguisher so you will come back and teach them again. Believe me they remember how to use it because I had one of my kids in school actually put out a potentially bad fire in a waste paper basket at home with one. Note: be sure to explain to them that FIRE EXT. ARE FOR SMALL FIRES AND ALWAYS GET OUT OF THE HOUSE FIRST.

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Yours Truly,
THE SNAKE MAN
Arguing with a fire inspector is like rolling in the mud with a pig, you soon relize the pig enjoys it. :)

[icewoman]

I have been with our Public Fire and Life Safety Division for 8 years. We currently go to all public, christian and private elementary schools and teach an 8 hr (mandatory) fire safety class with the 5th graders. They have a workbook with 8 lessons they have to complete. 1 is a copy of their home escape plan. This counts as a science grade for the semester we are there. We also teach all the 1st and 3rd grades with the fire safety house and 2 hour class. We go for 2 weeks. We use most of our career firefighters on their off days. They receive time and a half. We have 92 schools we hit year round. I would love to give you a copy of the materials we use. We also use the Allstate's "Be Cool about Fire Safety" for the 1st and 3rd graders.

We are just now implementing a program for 8th graders to really target the Juvenille Firesetter's. Our age group for Juvenille Firesetter's have gone up to 14 and 15 year olds. We are really trying to target them.

You really need to go to the Board of Education and sell them on the idea of mandatory fire safety in the schools. We used alot of statistics we would save the tax payers. We used our local media to help develop a fire safety video for the older kids. We filmed a training house fire and showed hoe quickly smoke detector work and the importance of keeping doors closed at night.

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Michele Ice
Firefighter
Cobb County, Georgia

[Halon]

Hi,
Our Fire Prevention office began with an inspector teaching fire safety with no props and fire safety materials/coloring books. We taught stop, drop and roll, EDITH, meeting place, feeling the door, etc. Worked pretty well.

We found out that we would loose the children and they would get bored. Props entered the picture. We managed to have a local contractor donate an old door and window. A frame was made to allow them to be free standing and safe. The children were excited about feeling the door, going through the door and window, etc. The woudl practice EDITH. An alarm would sound and we would help them throught the correct evacuation procedure.

Then we graduated. I managed to convince our Commissioners into purching a Fire Safety House. That was the best prop we have used! Play smoke is a big hit with the children. We have used it for three years and they keep comming back. What is amazing, is that htey remember the concepts from the previous time!!

If you was a picture of any of the above, let me know and I'll see what I can do.

Halon

[VVFC2LT]

We have a couple of different ways to educate kids/teens/young adults. The best way we've found out is hands on.

For little kids, ages 5-12(?), we have, in our county, two fire safety houses. If you are unfamiliar with these, they are special build camping trailers (for lack of a better term) that are set up to simulate a 2-story home. A non-toxic smoke machine simulates the smoke and the kids do the crawl low in smoke thing and make their way to an escape ladder on the rear of the trailer. It takes about 5 people to run it. We also go to the schools in our town during Fire Prevention week and practice stop, drop and roll & crawl low in smoke. In addition, fire departments in the area do a yearly safety fair with different fire safety stations. We also give tours of the fire hall and trucks to grade school kids.

Teens are a little more difficult trying to keep their attention. What we've done is to smoke up the basement in our station and have them go through it. Having them actually trying to find their way out of a smokey environment grabs them and makes them think how to get out. This method also works on adults.

I work for the County's Bureau of Emergency Services. I found out, when I give a presentation, Microsoft Powerpoint is great. You can insert video and audio and animation. For younger kids, this works well. If you want some other ideas from our Fire Academy, e-mail me and I'll get youin touch with them.

Stay safe

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David Gagetta
Asst. Capt.
Verona VFC

[pwduffy]

For the older kids, get a peice of pipe, 1 1/2 in diamiter, put a base that is strong enough to handel a small expolsion. a cork and a spark plug. Mount the pipe on a block of wood stright up, drill a hole in the pipe just above the place where it is mounted to the wood. Have a small battery Lawn Mower type two wires one ground one one the spark plug, an eyedroper a small amount of gasoline and the cork. with the wire on the spark plug off add a coulpe of drops, put the cork in the pipe just snug and connect the wire to the battery and the pop should blow the cork out of the pipe wont take much it impresses the older ones