Each October the National Fire Protection Association holds Fire Prevention Week to educate the public about ways to both prevent fires and deal with them if the need arises.
The Cutchogue and Mattituck fire departments team up each year to provide Fire Safety Day activities at local schools; yesterday and today they visited Cutchogue East Elementary.
Volunteer firefighters and EMTs from both departments brought along trucks, gear and equipment and gave the children a chance to interact with the people who protect them. They allowed the students to climb on the fire trucks, sit inside an ambulance and try their hand at using a fire extinguisher. Students also had a chance to use the fire safety trailer, which is designed to resemble a home. Children tour the trailer and learn to identify hazards.
One Mattituck firefighter demonstrated the Jaws of Life for a group of young students, calling the tool his “big scissors.” He showed the kids his gear and told them not to ever hide during a fire or be afraid of the scary equipment firefighters wear.
“It’s important to introduce children to fire prevention early,” said Cutchogue firefighter Bill Brewer. “Being here and seeing the equipment in person helps reinforce the lessons about fire safety.”
Brewer recalled that in 2015, a Riverhead girl used what she’d learned at Cutchogue East’s Fire Safety Day to help save a neighbor’s life. See story.
For more information about fire prevention, visit the National Fire Protection Association’s website.
SoutholdLOCAL photos by Katharine Schroeder
