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Firefighter Jonathan Cagle selects a student to answer a question.

Jonathan Cagle talks to kindergarten through third-grade students about smoke alarms.

Verbena firefighters demonstrate putting on their turnout gear.

A Verbena teacher instructs her students on how to crawl through the simulation. Students crawled through a tunnel to practice staying low under smoke.

Isaac Loury gets low to practice crawling under smoke.

Colton Hogan gets low to practice crawling under smoke.

Jordi Martinez smiles after getting candy for completing the simulator.

Sophie Maciel successfully craws through the tunnel.

A Verbena firefighter tells students about the equipment on the truck.

Rescue volunteer Amanda Moore explains the equipment in the ambulance to students.

The equipment on each of the vehicles used by Verbena Fire and Rescue was explained to the students.

By JOYANNA LOVE/ Senior Staff Writer

Verbena Fire and Rescue visited the Verbena Annex during Fire Prevention Week to talk to student in kindergarten through third grade about fire safety.

On Oct. 12, firefighters and rescue workers talked about staying low to avoid smoke in a fire and showed students the equipment they use when responding to a call.

“It gives the students an opportunity to see what the firefighters do and what they look like in their suits,” school counselor Kacey Sim said. “… The firefighters can teach them some rules about when there is a fire about getting out and where to go and having a safe place.”

VFR Assistant Chief Jonathan Cagle and Jeffery Franks presented information about “how to know when there is a fire, what to do if there is a fire and something we can do to prevent them.”

Cagle stressed the importance of having fire drills at home, so everyone knows what to do.

“When you go home today, get with your parents and have a fire drill,” Cagle said.

He tested a smoke detector, so that each of the students would know what it sounded like.

“You want to have two ways out of your house,” Cagle said.

The first choice would be a direction that does not have smoke. However, Cagle told students if going through smoke is the only option, then they need to get down as low as possible to crawl under the smoke.

Each of the students had the chance to crawl through a tunnel to practice how they would need to in a smoke-filled room. Each student received a piece of candy after finishing the simulation.

Franks put on the turnout gear worn when responding to a fire to help children not be afraid if they ever are in a fire.

“We are there to help, and we want to get you out and safe to your parents,” Cagle said.

Cagle explained how each piece of gear protects the firefighter.

When students went outside, they learned about fire truck and ambulance equipment.

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