Daily Egyptian Reporter 20

A cloud of non-toxic white smoke engulfs the simulated bedroom as Deloris Rhodes’ first-grade class practices what they would do in case there is ever a real fire in their homes.

As part of Fire Safety Week, the Carbondale Township Fire Department is making its rounds to local grade schools, and Monday it was the first-graders at Lewis School who had a field trip to the playground for a half-hour of fire-safety fun.

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Rhodes said the Safety House has a big influence on her students, who are learning a lot about avoiding tragedy.

Fire creates such a great picture in their minds, she said. They are very curious about it (fire), therefore they are very good listeners. And then they learn.

This year’s Fire Safety Week theme, React fast to fire and know when to get out, is the special lesson the fire department is trying to teach the children.

The theme is illustrated by the Safety House trailer. The 4-year-old trailer, used about 20 times a year at various community functions, is just like a real home, only on a smaller scale. It has a living room, a kitchen and a bedroom that the children are allowed to go through. The department purchased the trailer through the donations of local businesses.

The Safety House trailer is an inventive tool designed to show children what procedure to follow if there ever is a fire in their houses. First, children identify fire hazards in the trailer, then they make a mock phone call. And in a dramatic finish, the trailer fills up with a non-toxic smoke that simulates the smoke that is encountered in an actual fire.

Assistant Fire Chief Harry Threlkeld said the Safety House is designed to teach the children more than simply how to leave a house that is on fire.

The house is mainly to teach them what to do in case there is a fire, he said. But we hope they also warn their parents about fire safety and how to call if there is ever a fire.

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Before the children enter, the house is set up to show children other types of fire hazards commonly found in homes. Some planted hazards for identification include a pile of papers left in front of the fire place in the living room, pots left on the stove with handles turned out, toys left on the stairs and extension cords put underneath the carpet.

The children are told to look around the room and point out what is unsafe in the room. One particularly skilled group found all but one hazard in each room the children went through.

While identifying dangers in the living room, one child in each group is picked to make a simulated phone call to the fire department to make sure the children understand how to report a fire.

After the hazard identification and the mock phone call, the bedroom is filled with the non-toxic smoke to simulate a fire. The smoke alarm goes off, and the children are instructed to yell fire! and then check a door for heat to see if it is safe to exit through. Because the door is hot, the children have to leave out of a second-story porch, climb down a ladder and meet at a pre-designated spot outside.

Having such a planned meeting place is one of the elements of the plan the children are told to make with their parents in case of a fire.

The children are also encouraged to go home and tell their parents about what they learned and remind them to check their smoke detector batteries.

As part of their instruction, the children are also shown a video about fire safety.

Doug Biggs, a Carbondale firefighter who assisted in setting up the smoke simulation, said the Safety House aids a lot in teaching the children.

The Safety House is the best tool that we have for the kids, he said. They enjoy going through the house. We stress the importance of staying low, meeting outside at a meeting place and not going back inside the house.

Rhodes said the fire department has made an influence on the way children would deal with a real fire crisis.

It’s an exceptional program, she said. Since it is a visual and concrete example, anything that the children experience, like the fire Safety House, will stick with them.

The Safety House will be at Lewis School from 8:30 to 11:30 a.m. Tuesday, at Parrish School from 12:30 to 2:30 p.m. Tuesday and from 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Thursday.