It was all about fire safety on Wednesday as the Great Bend Fire Department put on a skit for the students of Lincoln Elementary School. This was part of Fire Prevention Week, where firefighters visit schools in Great Bend.
“It changes every three years on what type of event we put on for the children. This year is the skit,” Battalion Chief Eugene Perkins said. “It is a lot of fun and the children learn a lot about fire safety. We really enjoy teaching the children about fire safety.”
This year’s skit is about a villain, a grandpa and a grandma. The couple takes a nap and the villain enters the home and throws away the battery to the smoke detector. Then he stages areas in the house by overloading an electrical outlet and by putting paper towels across the stove in hopes to spark a fire. A fire starts and he escapes. The fire department is called to put out the fire, and luckily Sparky catches the villain for a happy ending.
Fire Prevention Week
According to the National Fire Protection Association, This year’s FPW campaign, “Look. Listen. Learn. Be aware. Fire can happen anywhere,” works to educate people about three basic but essential steps to take to reduce the likelihood of having a fire and how to escape safely in the event of one:
• Look - Look for places fire could start. Take a good look around your home. Identify potential fire hazards and take care of them.
• Listen - Listen for the sound of the smoke alarm. You could have only minutes to escape safely once the smoke alarm sounds. Go to your outside meeting place, which should be a safe distance from the home and where everyone should know to meet.
• Learn - Learn two ways out of every room and make sure all doors and windows leading outside open easily and are free of clutter.
In a fire, mere seconds can mean the difference between a safe escape and a tragedy.
Fire safety education isn’t just for school children. Teenagers, adults and the elderly are also at risk in fires, making it important for every member of the community to take some time every October during Fire Prevention Week to make sure they understand how to stay safe in case of a fire.
