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Kids Learn Fire Safety Syracuse City Fire Department Teaches Them Young

By Jacob Kronberg

**ANC*** (Kobland):
Sometimes, fires are uncontrollable, but the Syracuse City Fire Department is trying to inform those in the community how to best try and prevent them, and if one does erupt, how to get out safely. N-C-C News Reporter, Jacob Kronberg, has more.

SOT 1 (David Ellis):
“Having a plan to escape is one thing, but actually practicing it is huge.”

Track 1 (Kronberg): It’s National Fire Prevention Week and practicing the escape is something that Fire Chief David Ellis and the Syracuse City Fire Department is honing in on. The department wants family’s to do more than just know they need to evacuate the home in case of a fire. It wants them to actually practice it and walk to their decided safe zone.

The message is initially directed at children. Syracuse City Fire starts the information process at a very young age. Today they spoke to 2, 3, and 4 year olds at Saint Vincent De Paul Day Care in downtown Syracuse. With the hope that the message gets relayed back home.

SOT 2 (David Ellis):
“It’s something we’ve been doing for years and years. Sometimes I think the kids really look forward to seeing the firefighters, as well as the fire engines. It really helps us engage the young folks and hopefully we can deliver that message and they can bring it home to the adults they live with.”

Track 2 (Kronberg):
Fire Prevention and Safety talks don’t only happen when the Fire Department is around. Saint Vincent De Paul Day Care spends days throughout the year teaching the kids what to do in case of a fire based emergency.

SOT 3 (Megan Metz):
“Just the other day in the gym we did stop, drop and roll. We put out a matt. Me and Kelly, my assistant, showed the kids how to stop, drop and roll on the ground, and they just followed along. And they learned real quick how to do it.”

Track 3 (Kronberg):
The department even created a rhyme for the children in hopes that it will help them remember the importance of fire safety even more.

Not Every Hero Wears a Cape, Plan and Practice Your Escape, Jacob Kronberg, N-C-C News

SYRACUSE, N.Y. (NCC News) — In the most common of house fires, once the smoke detector goes off, a family generally has only two minutes to escape safely. That is something that the Syracuse City Fire Department is stressing this week during National Fire Prevention Week. 

National Fire Prevention Week is an annual event that takes place during the second week of October. Everyone, from kids, to teens, to adults, to the elderly, needs to be informed on how important it is to plan and be prepared in case of a fire based emergency.

On Thursday, October 10th, the Syracuse City Fire Department made a trip to Saint Vincent De Paul Daycare in downtown Syracuse to focus their attention on the kids. Very young ones at that. Fire Chief David Ellis and others brought some fire trucks and souvenirs to some two, three and four year olds at the daycare while informing them on fire safety.

“Sometimes I think the kids really look forward to seeing the firefighters, as well as the fire engines. It really helps us engage the young folks and hopefully we can deliver that message and they can bring it home to the adults they live with,” said Ellis.

Syracuse City Fire has been speaking to kids for years about fire safety and understand that the approach when talking to different ages has to be different. That is why when talk to the youngest grouping they stick to the basics. Don’t be afraid of the firefighters if they are in your home and “stop, drop and roll”.

Making the visit interactive for the younger children is a big part as well. By bringing multiple fire trucks they allow the kids to all get a turn to see the truck up close and even sit in the driver’s seat. They also bring each of the kids a plastic fire helmet to take home.

Lastly, National Fire Prevention week has a slogan this year in the form of a rhyme to make it easier for all, especially the kids to remember.

“Not Every Hero Wears a Cape. Plan and Practice Your Escape!”

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