ABOVE: Danville Assistant Fire Chief Jerry Sparks speaks to students outside Liberty Elementary School.
Fire Prevention Week (Oct 5th -11th) and Fire Prevention Month (October) coincide every year with the legendary anniversary of Mrs. Oleary’s cow kicking over the lantern to allegedly start the Great Chicago Fire in 1871. And every year, fire departments continue to educate school children on how to avoid accidental fires, as well as how to survive one.
On Thursday morning (Oct 9th), the Danville Fire Department made their first Fire Prevention Month visit, at Liberty Elementary. Assistant Chief Jerry Sparks said reaching out to kindergarteners through fourth graders is very ideal.
AUDIO: This is one of our most important functions; also happens to be one of our more fun ones too. Kids, this is the time when their minds can be molded easiest. And these are some of the most important things that they need to carry through the rest of their lives, as far as their safety at home and at work.
Liberty School 1st grade teacher Jennifer Doggett says this has been a special week for her students.
AUDIO: They love having the firemen come out and show them all the cool stuff. It’s a very special week. We do lots of videos and books and activities; they enjoy it.
Assistant Chief Sparks says the obstacle course is certainly fun for the students, but the “safe house” is where teaching really happens.
AUDIO: This is where kids learn to go low under smoke. This is where they understand how smoke alarms work. And they understand how to check for heat on a door, and how to escape. And this is some of the most important stuff that we have to do as a fire department.
Between now and the end of this Fire Prevention Month; the fire department will be stopping at Edison, 1st Baptist School, Schlarman’s South Campus, and Meade Park and Northeast Elementary.
