NEGAUNEE, Mich. (WZMQ) – Fire Safety Week is continuing to bring awareness to fire dangers but also education on how to prevent those dangers as well. Lakeview Elementary School hosted the Negaunee Fire Department, where Firefighters in uniform taught students how fires can start as well as the best way to plan safety measures at home.
This year’s theme for Fire Safety Week is “Cooking Safety Starts with You”, instructing students about the safety plan if there was ever a fire in the kitchen. According to the US Fire Administration, cooking fires are the leading cause of home fires. In 2021, fire departments in the United States responded to an estimated 170,000 home cooking fires (click here for more).
“It’s extremely important like you mentioned they’re at that age where they can start reaching for things that maybe they shouldn’t if they’re going to be helping around the kitchen or if they’re gonna be playing in the kitchen,” commented Negaunee Firefighter Mason Tompkins.
“I think it’s good to teach kids to fire safety so that they can be safe at home,” said Lakeview Elementary Miner Olivia Torreano. “Fire Safety is really important because it can save your life so you don’t get burned,” commented Lakeview Elementary Miner Isaiah Gatiss.
Firefighters showed students the ins and outs of a fire truck, teaching the best escape plan from a burning building and how to communicate the danger to a dispatch officer. Teachers commented that having the students learn about these dangers from a person in uniform, gives the students more reassurance and makes the situation that much more real.
“They recognize that oh yeah they’re actually maybe listening to somebody in uniform a little bit closer…the parents will share it maybe the teachers will share it but when they see somebody in uniform I think that helps kids kind of take notice and I really am glad we’re taking time as a school to you know to have kids practice and learn all these things together,” commented Lakeview Assistant Principal Becky Walters.
“We have two firefighters, one of them will be putting on their turnout gear to demonstrate that it’s just a regular person underneath the gear and there’s nothing to fear,” continued Tompkins.
Although knowing the steps to become safe in case of a fire can help, creating a safety plan before any fire danger can be an even greater assistance. “A lot of these kids will go home now and have the conversation about what happens if there is a fire what do we do and so then their families are talking about it and so then if there is an emergency it isn’t something they haven’t thought about,” continued Walters.
Firefighters note that having a plan beforehand can keep everyone in the situation more calm, and ready to handle potential dangers.
