MHS learns about fire safety
Published 2:51 pm Thursday, October 10, 2019
A Maplesville second-grade student sits in the driver seat of a fire engine. (JOYANNA LOVE/ ADVERTISER)
Maplesville Volunteer Fire Department firefighter Carson Riley and Fire Chief Melvin Morrow during the presentation at MHS. (JOYANNA LOVE/ ADVERTISER)
Students take turns spraying water from the hose. (JOYANNA LOVE/ ADVERTISER)
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By JOYANNA LOVE/ Senior Staff Writer
Maplesville Volunteer Fire Department gave Maplesville elementary students a reverse field trip on Oct. 10 as they presented information about fire safety and showed students the emergency vehicles.
Fire Chief Melvin Morrow and EMS Chief Christine Epperson were joined by three members of the department, Brenda Reynolds, Jennifer Cruz and Carson Riley, to show students some of the gear that firefighters wear and explain how it works.
Riley showed students what a firefighter in all his or her gear would look like when responding to a fire.
Epperson said firefighters cannot hear too well with their helmet on. However, there is a mic in the mask, so that they can talk to people when responding to a fire.
A sensor attached to the firefighter jacket starts to beep and increase in volume, if a firefighter stands still for too long.
“If I hear that tone, I am immediately getting other firefighters that are on the outside to go in — we’ve got a firefighter that needs help,” Epperson said.
She said the alarm is important because EMS on the outside cannot see inside the structure because of the smoke.
Students were also taught to stop, drop, cover their face and roll, if their clothes caught on fire.
Morrow warned students not to play with matches.
Second-grade students had been studying fire prevention prior to the presentation and were able to correctly answer many of Epperson’s questions.
Epperson stressed the importance of getting out of the house and calling 911 when there is a fire.
She also made sure students knew it was a number only to be used in emergencies.
Morrow and Epperson stressed the importance of having a predetermined spot outside to meet with family in the event of a fire.
“How many of you have a smoke alarm in your house?” Epperson asked. “For those of you that do, make sure your mom and dad keep a regular check on the alarms to make sure they are working because sometimes they will go bad.”
Teachers were encouraged to find out which students did not have a smoke alarm in their house and let the Maplesville Town Hall know. Epperson said the fire department had some that had been donated that they would give to those who needed them. The department will even install them in some cases.
