Wantagh kids stop, drop and learn

Dominick Krug, a fourth grader at Wantagh Elementary School, hopped out of the fire safety trailer with firefighter Walter Enfield and PTA volunteer Brent Powers keeping watch.

Andrew Hackmack/Herald

Mario Innella learned that the safest way out could be through a window.

Andrew Hackmack/Herald

Fourth-grader Devin Vezzuto learned how to get out safely.

Andrew Hackmack/Herald

Wantagh Firefighter and instructor Marcela Loeber told children how to stop, drop and roll if their clothes ever caught on fire.

Andrew Hackmack/Herald

Wantagh Elementary School students learned how to keep themselves safe in the event of a fire, using the Fire Department's smokehouse.

Andrew Hackmack/Herald

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A fire is a devastating situation no family ever wants to experience. If they do, it is likely that everyone will come out of it safely by following basic tips that are taught at a young age.

October is Fire Prevention Month across the country, and the Wantagh Fire Department marks the occasion by visiting several schools in the area. On Oct. 7, firefighters were at Wantagh Elementary School teaching fire safety skills, from stop, drop and roll to the danger of matches.

All students at the school took part in the various fire safety demonstrations. Marcela Loeber, a Wantagh firefighter and instructor, met with students in kindergarten, first and second grades. She taught the basics, and told children how to respond if a smoke detector in their home goes off. Check the door to see if it’s hot, she said, and know two ways out.

Loeber also showed the students a video, and put on her gear, to show them that underneath all that equipment is a person who is there to help.

Outside, children in third and fourth grades went into the department’s fire safety trailer, also known as the smokehouse. Firefighters reinforced safety skills in two small simulated bedrooms. As the rooms filled with fake smoke and smoke detectors went off, children had to go feel the door. When it was hot, they crawled to the window, yelled for help, then were assisted out by PTA volunteers and firefighters.

Capt. John Licata of the Wantagh Fire Department coordinates the fire safety programs. He said the department has been doing school visits since the mid-1980s. This year, firefighters will visit eight schools in four districts, and reach upwards of 4,000 children.

“It’s hands on,” he said. “They actually see what it’s like to be in a safe environment and how to practice.”

Third-grader Jake Martini, who went through the smokehouse, said he planned to go home and ask his parents to create an escape plan. He said the skills he learned last week are very important. “If there’s a fire, you can get out safely,” he said.