Firefighters will visit Great Bend schools Oct. 4-15, as they observe Fire Prevention Week. Capt. Luke McCormick at the Great Bend Fire Department said children will learn some important things about fire safety, and the lessons are also good for parents. The theme for this year’s Fire Prevention Week campaign is, “Working Smoke Alarms Save Lives: Test Yours Every Month!”
“Maybe half of the time when we go to a structure fire, they have a working smoke detector, and the other times they don’t,” McCormick said.  Detectors are important because fires can double in size every 2 minutes. “The sooner you can be alerted to a fire, the quicker we can do something about it.”
Great Bend elementary students are exposed to the GBFD’s Fire Prevention Week programs every October through sixth grade. Off-duty firefighters will work extra days during the next two weeks to visit preschools and kindergartens. Kindergartners will receive red plastic firefighter helmets, provided by Alliance Insurance Group, and they get to see Sparky, the official mascot of the National Fire Protection Association. Kindergartners also learn some fire safety essentials, such as “stop, drop and roll.”
For preschoolers and kindergartners, one of the most important things they’ll see is a firefighter putting on his gear. Most of the kids love it, but it’s not unusual for a few to be timid. A firefighter in full gear, including breathing apparatus, can be a frightening sight, but children need to know not to hide from a firefighter if they find one entering their home or school.
“Our goal is that by the time we leave there, we’ve made it a positive event for the kids,” McCormick said.
All of the children will receive home escape plans and coloring books. They were provided this year by CUNA Mutual, Keller Real Estate & Insurance Company and the Veterans of Foreign Wars Auxiliary.
For children in grades 1-6, the firefighters plan a different program every year. In 2012 they created fire safety skits, and last year they presented a safety demonstration with included simulating a stove-top fire. Every third year, including this year, on-duty firefighters bring the Mobile Fire Safety Trailer to the schools. This 40-foot trailer has a bedroom, living room with fireplace and electrical outlets, and a working kitchen.
“It’s equipped just like a house,” McCormick said. “It’s a great tool to use.”
The bedroom door, for example, can be made warm to the touch. Children are taught to touch a door before opening it when escaping a possible fire. If the door is warm, there is fire on the other side and they should choose a different exit. (By creating a home safety plan, they will already know two ways out of the house.) The training room can also be filled with non-toxic “smoke” so children can practice crawling to safety.
The Mobile Fire Safety Trailer was purchased in 2005 by the Great Bend Jaycees and Barton County Fire Chiefs, and is used by the entire county. This past week members of the Ellinwood Fire Department took it to schools in that city. When it’s not being used for fire safety demonstrations, the trailer can also simulate a storm for severe weather training. “In the event of a disaster, it becomes a mobile command unit,” McCormick said.