MEDINA: Firefighters teach pre-schoolers safety lesson

October 12, 2007 02:03 pm

— Sitting in a chair made for a pre-schooler, Medina firefighter Mat Mosher was on the level with children enrolled at Toddler’s Inn Daycare and Pre-school. His message to them was straightforward: Fire prevention and safety are very important.
As part of Fire Prevention Week, “Firefighter Mat” and fellow firefighter, Craig Basinait, talked to the group of wide-eyed youngsters about the importance of fire drills, smoke detectors and the special suit firefighters wear when they go into a blaze.
Pressing the smoke detector’s test button to sound the alarm, Mosher explained: “At home, it would be very important that if you heard this noise at night, to get down low and feel the door.” If the door is warm, he told the group, the fire could be just on the other side.
Mosher and Basinait engaged the children in learning about fire safety and safety in general, such as why they should wear a helmet when riding a bicycle or scooter.
“If you were to have an accident or fall, it would protect you from getting a boo-boo on your head,” Mosher said. He made the learning material from National Fire Safety Council understandable for the class of 2-, 3- and 4-year-olds.
Mosher pulled items from a box and explained why some were “good toys” or “not good toys.” Among the good ones were plush puppies and pigs. The no-nos included an electrical outlet, scissors, a box of matches, an extension cord and a lighter. The latter ones, he explained, are dangerous, and small children should never play with them.
“If they remember one thing that (Mat) pulled out of that box, it worked,” Basinait said.
Mosher showed the kids how firefighters look when they are decked out in their bunker pants and matching jackets. He explained what each piece of equipment was used for, from the boots to the “backpack,” an air tank that is hooked to a breathing apparatus so the firefighter can get fresh oxygen when he or she goes into a burning structure.
Though some children didn’t like it when Basinait put on his fire-proof clothes, mask and helmet, many of the kids enjoyed watching as he suited up. Renee Lehman, 4, shyly said she liked the outfit.
Basinait tries to allay any fears. “My biggest fear is making them scared.”
Children were able to get out of their chairs and touch the jacket, hear Basinait’s voice while he had the oxygen mask on and see with their own eyes that Basinait was the one in the suit. The demonstration helped them understand the transformation from regular guy to firefighter.
“It’s to teach children about fire prevention and teach them not to be afraid of our firefighters if they need to see them. Sometimes it’s scary,” teacher Audrey Schalck said. “They like the trucks, but sometimes when they’re dressed in all that gear they get scared.”
The school fire-prevention programs are age-specific, catering to the minds of children as young as 2 and up into the middle grades. After listening attentively to the 40-minute presentation, the Toddler’s Inn kids received coloring books and crayons, stickers and a firefighter hat.
Four-year-old Madison Stewart said she liked the program and being able to see the firefighters in her classroom. When asked what their job is, she said, “He would put out the fire.”
Contact reporter Miranda Vagg at 798-1400, ext. 2225.

Photos

James Neiss/staff photographer Medina, NY - Medina firefighter Mat Mosher tells Toddler? Inn Day Care students not to play with matches during a Fire Prevention Week visit to the school.