By Callum Ludwig
Quick and clear thinking is easier said than done in a fire, which is why it is so crucial to be well-informed and prepared should a fire break out.
Wandin Fire Brigade did their bit in helping ensure some of our youngest residents are ready to react, visiting Wandin North Primary School with representatives from CFA’s District 13 to educate students.
Third Lieutenant at Wandin Fire Brigade Matt Sayers said the session focused on teaching students from Prep to Grade 2.
“District 13 was teaching them what a firefighter is, what to do if you see a fire and to make sure to alert your parents, and for Grade 2 it was more advanced, teaching them a bit more about fire and escape routes in the house, as well as ‘Get down low and go go go,’” he said.
“We showed the kids what a firefighter might look like if there was a fire, donning our full breathing apparatus and our full gear to show them we can’t see who they are or talk to them if they call out to us, which can be a bit scary for them.”
After the important information was shared, kids got to have a bit of fun testing the fire hose, checking out the fire truck and seeing other firefighting equipment.
Mr Sayers said it’s extremely important to expose kids to firefighting.
“It’s not just the kids who benefit, because we give the information to the children to take back to their parents as well, and hopefully teaching the kids about things like smoke alarms prompts them to ask Mum or Dad to check the smoke alarm,” he said.
“It’s also really important to kids to understand what to do in an emergency, what Triple Zero is there for and also that it’s not something to hoax or pretend or to put in fake Triple Zero calls into.”
CFA’s Fire Safe Kids program outlines that their presentations for Preps to Grade 2s include the ‘Get down low and go, go, go’ and ‘Stop, drop, roll’ practices as well as simple rules for home fire safety.
‘Get down low and go, go, go’ is all about getting down below smoke and crawling to the nearest exit and making sure to feel a door with the back of your hand before opening it to test if it’s hot and likely to have a fire on the other side.
‘Stop, drop, roll’ is about when clothes catch on fire, you should immediately stop where you are, drop to the ground and cover your face with your hands and start rolling front to back until the flames are out.
