Fire safety basics for first-graders

October is Fire Safety Month and some first graders at Brooklyn Avenue Elementary School learned some helpful safety tips on what to do in the event of a fire.

Brooklyn Avenue Principal Dr. Scott Comis said that a program like this offers important information to his students. “It’s a valuable experience for children to learn about fire safety for school and home,” Comis said. “They get excited and a learn a lot from the experience.”

Nassau County Fire Marshal Joseph Whittaker, with his 9-year-old black labrador Abbie and 14-month old Umi, also a black lab, came to Joanna Grosso’s first grade class on Oct. 6 to teach the students the do’s and don’ts of fire safety. Whittaker told the students that if their clothes catch on fire, they should stop, drop and roll on the ground. He added that children should stay away from everything associated with fire. “Never play with lighters,” Whittaker said. “Never be curious with fire.”

Whittaker also told the class that if a fire breaks out in their home, they should feel the doors with the back of their hands to determine if is hot. If it isn’t, he said, they should stay low and crawl to the nearest exit.

Abbie and Whittaker also put on a demonstration on how a trained fire dog finds potential flammable items. Whittaker poured small spots of gasoline in the corners of the classroom. Abbie, with her nose close to the ground, found all four spots. When she found the spot, Abbie pointed with her nose and sat at attention. That motion signaled to Whittaker that Abbie found something. She then gets rewarded with a dog treat.

Abbie is now retired and Umi has taken her spot on the Fire Marshal’s crew.