Fire Prevention Week Concludes

We are winding down a full week of fire prevention activities as GFD participated in NFPA Fire Prevention Week. The theme this year was lithium-ion battery safety. These extra activities are fun for us and great for the community, however our daily duties never take a back seat. 16 calls for service, rental inspections, truck checks/maintenance, station maintenance, blood pressure clinic, smoke/co alarm installs, training on our new pumper/tanker, daily safety social media posts, annual pump certification testing with our vendor, and routine administrative duties are all part of a regular week.

Fire prevention activities started on Oct 3, with the fire truck parade in Holland. Members took new pumper/tanker 740 in the parade, then provided a hose for kids to spray water and knock down cones at the Holland Civic Center.

On Tuesday, members took Engine 712 to Little Hawks pre-school in Fillmore Township They talked about what firefighters do and showed them some tools that are used.

Wednesday was our visit to Blue Star Elementary. The event started with demonstration of Ladder 751. Deputy Chief Mike set it up and then moved the tower up and around. Students and teachers alike were amazed at the reach that it has when fully deployed.

The safety house was utilized by asking students to point out potential hazards they saw in the room. They were also asked what safety items that they noticed. Firefighters Zoey and Nic were the moderators for that area.

The next room simulated a bedroom. Students felt a warm door and determined that was NOT the best way out. After some instruction, theater smoke was pumped into the room and the smoke alarm sounded. The kids then went to the floor and crawled to the window for an escape.

Once all the students had been through the safety house, they all met in the gym for a presentation. They were shown a short video on safe fire drill behavior at school and at home.

Next, Firefighter Alec donned his firefighting turnouts as Captain Dave explained each piece of the ensemble. When he was ready to go in a “fire”, he crawled into the crowd of students so they could see/hear him working and breathing through his mask. Our goal is for kids to not “fear the gear” and come to a firefighter in a time of need, not hide.

The day wrapped up with questions from the students. There many great questions and a few short stories from the kids. Here is a link to a Facebook video production of our visit, produced by Zach Harig, District Communications & Marketing Coordinator at Hamilton Community Schools.

The Graafschap Fire Department is grateful for these two schools to allow us into their buildings to interact with these great students. If you know of a group that would benefit from a similar experience, contact davegrumney@graafscahpfire.org or call 616-396-4060 ext. 703.