Fire Safety Presentation

Third graders have been learning about public and private services in our community. Public services are offered to everyone in a community, such as the fire department and police department. These services are important in keeping everyone in a community safe. Fire Inspector Neil Berkowitz was kind enough to come to the third grade classes this week to discuss fire safety in the home. The students were so excited to learn about the safety tips that he went over with us.

First, Firefighter Neil talked to the children about fire safety and how to prevent fires. He told the children that in order to use matches or lighters, they should first be old enough to have a driver's license! He reminded them about calling 9-1-1 if there is a true emergency and what they should do in case there's a fire in their home. Sleeping with their bedroom door closed so smoke in the hallway would not enter their bedrooms while they slept is also a safety procedure everyone should follow.. He also told them if there is a fire in their home and they are attempting to exit, they should NEVER return to the home for anything. He reassured the children that the firefighters will go inside to retrieve anything important, including pets.

The firefighter also gave the students the assignment of creating a fire escape plan with their families and practicing the plan together. This is an important task for all families, so everyone knows where they would meet should they need to escape in an emergency.

The last part of Firefighter Neil’s presentation was about the importance of having working smoke detectors in the home. The students were asked to go home and ask parents to test the smoke detectors to make sure they were working. This is an important step to do with children present so they know what the alarm sounds like. They also asked the children to have their parents test the alarm while the child is in their bedroom. Doing so will assure everyone that the alarm can be heard from behind closed doors. He also told them that if they did not have a working smoke detector in their home, he would supply one to their family free of charge.

To end the presentation, Firefighter Neil had all the third graders take a pledge that they would all help him out and become junior firefighters in their own homes. Now all the homes of third graders have an official junior firefighter living there to help keep everyone safe! Thank you Firefighter Neil!!