The Ossian Fire Department visits local daycare to discuss fire safety
By SYDNEY KENT
The Ossian Fire Department is ensuring even the community’s youngest members know how to prevent and react to fires.
Firefighters Jeff Miller and Kyle White along with Chief Ben Fenstermaker met with several classes at the Ossian Presbyterian Church daycare last Thursday.
Fenstermaker said that the department has traditionally visited the schools and daycares in the area each October to educate children on fire safety. In 1922, the National Fire Protection Association named the second week of October Fire Prevention Week in commemoration of the Great Chicago Fire in 1871.
Toddlers and preschoolers sat in rows in the fellowship hall, their wide eyes frequently darting to the uniform sitting nearby. White put each part of the uniform on for the children, reminding them that a friendly face was under the heavy gear.
Miller demonstrated how to “stop, drop, cover your face, and roll” before heading outside to show one of the department’s fire trucks up close. He also asked the classes to identify a smoke alarm. The question was fitting for this year’s theme for National Fire Prevention Week: Smoke alarms — make them work for you.
According to the NFPA, this year’s campaign strives to educate everyone about the importance of having working smoke alarms in the home. The campaign advocates for smoke alarms to be installed in every bedroom, hallway, and level of the home and encourages individuals to test the alarms once a month.
sydney@news-banner.com
