Training teaches kids practical steps for safety
Nearly 600 Butler County students have benefited from a fire prevention program coordinated by Butler County Community College.
The program, which features a fire safety training trailer, has reached 573 students since its roll-out in June, according to a news release from the college.
The 30-foot trailer, one of two purchased through the Cranberry Township Community Chest's Project of the Year program in 2016, simulates fire emergencies and teaches students how to appropriately respond, said firefighter Greg Haughey with Butler Township Fire District 3.
Firefighters Haughey, John Stokes and Rick McClain have taught the life-saving skills to kindergartners through fifth-graders at 10 places since June, including Camp Apple, Emily Brittain Elementary, Chicora Elementary, Connoquenessing Elementary, First Baptist Christian, St. Wendelin's, Butler Catholic, Portersville Christian and twice at Northwest Elementary.
The goal of BC3's fire safety training trailer, said Haughey, is to have children discuss emergency plans with their parents or guardians, and not just during October's fire prevention month.
“It is really worth our effort to talk with these students,” Haughey said in the press release. “If somebody doesn't get hurt in a fire or if a fire doesn't start, then it is worth our efforts. The real thing here is for them to go home and talk to their parents. We also hope it is something that teachers will continue to discuss in the classroom.”
The trailer is outfitted with a small kitchen, a five-tiered seating area for pupils and a bathroom and bedroom. It simulates smoke in the building, fire alarm sounds, heated doors and other fire-related issues.
Haughey said students also learn about EDITH — Exit Drills in the Home — which states that children should know at least two ways out of every room, if possible; that they should close doors behind them as they leave; that the family should identify an outdoor meeting place; and that the family should practice its drill at night and during the day twice a year.
He said students are given a homework assignment of taking the lessons learned to their residences and talking over the lessons with family members.“We want students to go home and talk to family about what we did in the training program, to practice an exit drill in the home, look at other ways out of every room in the house, come up with a meeting place and hopefully the few minutes we spend with them, the third grader goes home and works with the rest of his family,” he said in a phone interview Monday.Haughey said the interactive nature of the trailer helps “drive the lessons home.”“One room in the trailer has a window with a ladder and children open the window and climb down the ladder and go to a meeting place, which is a mailbox we bring with us,” he said. “It's kind of a fun thing and drives home the lessons. Kids can actually see what we are talking about.”Brian Opitz, BC3's executive director of operations, said in the news release that the college has received “a ton of requests” for BC3's fire safety training trailer in 2017, and that the responses from teachers have been “fantastic.”“They say that it is good practical training,” Opitz said. “They say it is something that they can't teach their students in the classroom. It is one of those life lessons that students need to understand. This type of setup helps the kids to understand.”Emily Brittain Elementary Principal Chad Broman said the big takeaway for their students was the creation of a fire plan, and the importance of knowing that everyone is out of the location safely.
