Over the last week, fire departments around the county hosted open houses and made appearances at local schools as part of Fire Safety Week, an effort to increase kids’ knowledge of fire safety and familiarize kids with fire fighters and what they do.
Preschoolers surrounded Sparky the Fire Dog at the Waldoboro Fire Station on Oct. 7, shaking his paw as their parents snapped pictures.
Waldoboro Fire Chief Paul Smeltzer stepped into the crowd of children to address them.
“If you see us, in all our gear, and we’re at your house, we’re there to help you,” Smeltzer told the kids. “You’re not going to be afraid of us, are you?”
As the kids – 15 of them from Creative Christian Preschool, based out of the First Baptist Church on Rt. 1 in Waldoboro – climbed on the trucks and struggled to stand up while wearing the heavy fire-proof jackets and helmets, Smeltzer explained what the department does each year during Fire Safety Week.
The Waldoboro Department’s schedule for the week is similar to what goes on in most towns, and consists of visits to schools to teach kids safety and outreach efforts to familiarize children and their parents with the department and the fire fighters.
They teach the older children to stop, drop and roll and to get out and stay out, and they try to get the younger children comfortable with the sight of a fire fighter decked out head-to-toe in protective gear.
“People are so busy, it’s good to take some time to step back and teach kids fire safety,” said Jefferson Fire Chief Walter Morris. Morris and the Jefferson Department pay special attention to teaching kids about smoke detectors and making sure they’re operational.
Along with their visits to the Jefferson Village School, the Jefferson Fire Dept. hosted an open house at the station on Oct. 3. Some Jefferson parents told Morris their children came home anxious to test the fire alarms and make evacuation plans.
“Parents got a chance to talk with their kids about fire safety, and one family that didn’t have smoke alarms before has them now,” Morris said. “That makes it all worth it.”
On Oct. 8, the Waldoboro Fire Department hosted a massive open house at their station. Three hundred to 400 people attended the event, said Waldoboro Assistant Fire Chief and chairman of the open house Bill Maxwell.
The department gave kids rides on the trucks and did equipment demonstrations. For adults, they held a silent auction and set up a photographic history of the department, and for the kids, they had boardwalk-style games.
“It was truly a family event,” Maxwell said. Hundreds of kids played the games, and their grandparents, Maxwell said, loved the history. “A lot of the old-timers like to stand around, swap stories and say, ‘I remember that fire.'”
The Waldoboro open house also featured the Damariscotta Fire Department’s “smoke trailer,” which simulates a burning building and gives kids the chance to practice their skills.
Using a fog machine, the trailer fills with “smoke” and kids learn how to stay close to the floor and get out of a smoky room. The trailer also has stations that teach kids about hot stoves and a telephone that simulates placing a 911 call, so kids know what’s like to talk to a dispatcher in an emergency.
The Somerville Fire Dept. brought Smokey the Bear to the Somerville School and held presentations throughout the morning on Oct. 6. The presentations were followed by a full-scale evacuation of the school to a nearby site.
“The evacuation was remarkably smooth,” said Somerville Assistant Fire Chief Dave Stanley, “Anytime we can get into the school and work with kids, it helps us let people know who we are and that we’re always there.”
