A group of first graders and kindergarteners stopped at the Bristol fire station the other day to learn about safety and meet a few friendly firefighters.
“We do this every year,” said Jeri Pendleton, the wife of longtime Bristol Fire Chief Ron Pendleton.
Children were taught how to call for help, what to do when waiting for firefighters to arrive, and to recognize their firefighter friends, even though they are dressed up in heavy coats, big helmets and wearing air masks that could pass for Halloween costumes.
First stop was a classroom where the children were taught how to call 911 for help. Then they were shown how to crawl under smoke to reach an outside window or door.
“We showed them a firefighter in full gear so they wouldn’t be afraid when the firefighter came to rescue them,” she said.
Second stop for the children was to show them the emergency medical section where they were taken inside the rescue truck, got to lay down on the stretcher and strap each other into the chair firefighters use to carry patients down stairs.
The final class was held outside the firehouse where children were allowed to inspect the fire engine and squirt the hose.
It was a chance for the children to learn something, and have fun too, said Pendleton.