Firefighters bring lessons to Grade 2

Firefighters brings lessons to Grade 2
By Dan Hilborn, Burnaby NOW assistant editor
Published April 2, 2003

What happens when six big and burly Burnaby firefighters come into a classroom full of Grade 2 students?
The answer is a whole lot of learning and a whole lot of fun.
Last Wednesday, students in Cheryl Chan's class at Inman elementary were the first in the city to take part in the new fire awareness program put together by Burnaby's fire prevention officer, Capt. Jim Dixon.
For one hour, the students learned about the dangers of matches and lighters, how to 'cool a burn' and what it means to 'stop, drop and roll,' plus the basics of a home fire escape plan, including the importance of smoke detectors and how to call 911.
"This program is paramount to our work," said Dixon, who recently received approval, and the extra staff help, to bring the program to Grade 2 students in each of the 39 elementary schools in the district for next September.
And he won't have to do it alone. Burnaby fire chief John Stewart has given approval for the city's six fire inspectors to assist the fire prevention team in getting the message out. The inspectors will each be assigned to a different region of the city, where they will be responsible for teaching fire safety to the children at six or seven schools per year.
Wednesday's first run of the class at Inman was the first time the fire inspectors were able to see exactly how the program works and what they'll be teaching next fall.
"The kids just loved it," Chan said Wednesday. "It went really well. The boys and girls think this is the greatest thing on earth.
"They've been wearing their fire hats all day, and they are out there telling the world about fire safety."
Using a combination of props and demonstrations, the Grade 2 fire prevention program is the second phase of the children's learning resource put together by the Burnaby fire department.
Previously it only had enough resources to focus on preschools and day-care centres in the city.
Last week, six BFD fire inspectors also joined Dixon inside Chan's classroom for their first taste of how to teach the program. Next September, they will be expected to give the lesson themselves.
The city's fire prevention program is also scheduled to grow again in four more years, when work on a Grade 7 curriculum is completed and ready to be taught to students.
Dixon said Burnaby's fire prevention programs are all designed for their own specific age group, so that young people receive appropriate information that teaches them how to be careful without scaring them too much.
But Dixon and Chan both believe that all the lessons in the world will not amount to much if parents don't take the added steps of practising a fire drill at home and installing the basic fire safety equipment.
Dixon said the expansion of the school-based fire prevention program fulfills a promise made by Stewart when he became the head of the department about three years ago.
Later this year, the fire department also hopes to complete work on an interactive CD-ROM that contains a home fire-safety program that children can take home to their parents.
When the interactive games and contests found on the Burnaby fire department's official Web site are added to the equation, Dixon believes the city's fire prevention programs are quickly growing into a model for the entire Lower Mainland.