Uniontown students learn the importance of personal safety

Katie Hueston/ Tribune photo A firefighter from the Galena Fire Department distributes plastic fire helmets to West Bourbon Elementary students Friday during the safety presentation.

Grade by grade, students were brought out to watch a safety video and then were taken into the safety house, built much like a trailer house, for a lesson from Galena firefighters. Part of the lesson included teaching kitchen safety, such as making sure all flammable objects -- towels, oven mitts, paper towels, etc. -- are kept clear of the stove to prevent fires. The firefighter's also spoke with the students about making sure they never use the stove without a parent present, to make sure all handles from cooking ware on the stove top were turned away to where they can't be easily knocked off and the importance of having an escape plan in place with their family in the event that their house catches fire. They also stressed the importance of getting out and staying out to the children and to make sure their parents check the smoke detectors in the house every month. After the lesson, the students were given the opportunity to crawl through a room filled with smoke-like fog and taught how to feel the door for heat, to stay low in the crawling position and how to crawl out a window if necessary. Older classes also covered tornado safety and the safety house demonstrated effects similar to a tornado, including flashing lights to symbolize lightning, and wind, rain and thunder sound effects. The older students also discussed where to seek shelter during a severe storm. All students were educated on how to place a 911 call and what information they needed to provide the dispatcher, such as the type of emergency they were experiencing and what color of house they lived in, to help emergency personnel better locate their home.

Katie Hueston/ Tribune photo Bourbon County District No. 3 firefighter Mike Hueston helps Dawson Dreisbach, West Bourbon Elementary kindergarten student, from the window of the safety trailer that was at the school Friday. Students were educated on fire safety and given the opportunity to crawl through a smoke-filled room that demonstrated the conditions of a burning home.

After the safety trailer, students were given plastic fire helmets from the Galena firefighters and went outside to listen to information from Bourbon County District No. 3 Firefighters. Part of the demonstration included examining the trucks and an opportunity for the students to ask the firefighters questions. Mike Hueston, Assistant Fire Chief from Bourbon County District No. 3 Mapleton Station, spoke to the students about what to expect from emergency personnel and the difficult job the firefighters do. Hueston also encouraged the students to not fear the firefighters and to not risk their lives by entering a burning house after making their original exit.

"It's okay to be scared," said Mike. "But the important thing to remember is to not hide from the firefighters. It makes our job even harder and puts you in danger."

His son, Bourbon County District No. 3 Mapleton Station Captain Justin Hueston donned fire gear, including an SCBA mask, to demonstrate what a firefighter entering a home might look like.

"He looks pretty scary, doesn't he?" said Mike. As students nodded their heads in agreement, he added, "He looks scary, but this is what a firefighter might look like when they come into your house. It's important that you not get scared. The things he is wearing help keep him safe."

They explained each part of the gear to the students and what purpose it serves for the firefighters who wear it. Students spent time asking the firefighters questions before heading back to class.

Katie Hueston/ Tribune photo Bourbon County District No. 3 firefighter Justin Hueston dons an SCBA and turnout gear to demonstrate to West Bourbon Elementary students what a firefighter may look like when entering a home during a fire.

"The fire trucks are pretty and the firemen are cool," said McKenna Lord, West Bourbon Elementary first grade student. "I like them."

"That was awesome," said Dawson Dreisbach, kindergarten student at West Bourbon Elementary, after climbing out the window of the smoke-filled room.

"I want to either be a fireman or a doctor when I grow up," said Kane Shepard, preschool student at West Bourbon Elementary.

National Fire Prevention Week 2009 is Oct. 4-10, according to the National Fire Protection Association, which can be found online at http://www.nfpa.org. The website also provides educational tools about fire safety for parents and children, including a guide to help families design their own fire escape plan.