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Mostly Cloudy Wantagh students learn fire safety
This month, members of the Wantagh Fire Department will visit eight local elementary schools and educate thousands of children on fire safety. Their messages range from the simple, such as stop, drop and roll, to the more complicated, like how fire behaves.
The department has been going to local schools for more than 30 years every October, which is Fire Prevention Month. On Oct. 7, firefighters were at Forest Lake Elementary School.
“We’re very grateful that the Wantagh Fire Department takes the time to do this,” Principal Anthony Ciuffo said. “It’s very important for the students to learn about fire safety.”
In a pair of assemblies inside, children learned how to prevent fires in their homes. From not playing with matches to making sure the stove is turned off, they were given tips to avoid a family tragedy. In case of a fire, they learned that they should know two ways out of their house, and to crawl low under the smoke.
Outside, third- and fourth-graders got to put these lessons into practice in the department’s fire safety trailer, also known as the smokehouse. In groups, children went into one of two rooms, simulating a bedroom at home, which filled with fake smoke. Each child had to crawl out of bed as the smoke detector went off, feel a door with the back of their hand, then go to the window and yell for help. A firefighter was waiting to bring them to safety.
Fourth-grader Carmela Mainscalco said going through the smokehouse was an enlightening experience. “You got to experience what it would be like,” she said of practicing for an emergency in the home. “It was a little scary.”
She learned the importance of staying low to the ground if there is smoke, because that is where the freshest oxygen would be if she had to escape a fire.
Carmela added that she understands the importance of these fire safety lessons. “You can just know what to do,” she said. “If you’re panicking, how are you going to get out?”
Her classmate, Joseph Clem, said he learned that objects that can start fire,s such as matches, should always be kept in a safe place. He also enjoyed going through the fire safety trailer. “It taught me all the things I need to do in case there’s a fire in my house,” he said.
Fire Department Capt. John Licata said the purpose of the school visits is to teach the children to be self sufficient. “They learn individual fire safety, how to take care of themselves, and then they can help their families,” he said.
The goal also is to alleviate fears, which is why many of the children saw firefighter Marcela Loeber put on her gear, so they know there is a regular person in there looking to help them.
Ciuffo said that he hopes the children never need to use many of the lessons they learned last week, but if they do, they are prepared. “This is life experience for them,” he said. “They need to know how to protect themselves. The skills that they’re learning could potentially save a life.”
