Pre-schoolers at Lighthouse Daycare Centre were all fired up last Thursday — in a good way.
Fire & Rescue NSW (FRNSW) officers from Port Macquarie Fire Station gave fire safety lessons to the children.
The fire officers conducted FireED, FRNSW’s fire education and awareness program, which teaches young children vital fire safety information.
“The FRNSW FireED program develops children’s perception of fire safety and fire survival,” Station Commander Dawn Maynard said.
“FRNSW officers provide valuable fire safety education and information to thousands of children of all ages across NSW.
“The fire officers work with the teachers to encourage children to learn messages such as ‘Get Down Low and Go, Go, Go’ and ‘Stop, Drop, Cover and Roll’.
“The children are also educated on how to differentiate between safe and unsafe fire, including how a safe fire can become unsafe.
“Even at a young age it is critical to know what to do when a smoke alarm activates, how to escape the fire, and where to meet once outside.
“This is all part of the FireED lesson.”
Station Commander Maynard was also keen to point out the key role of parents.
“It’s also vital that parents develop a home escape plan,” she said.
“Children can easily become disorientated and can waste precious minutes searching for Mum and Dad or escaping the wrong way and getting trapped.
“Parents should show their children how to escape from each room and make sure they know the designated meeting place.
“Children are sometimes intimidated by people in uniforms.
“We teach them that fire officers are here to help and they can always approach us if there is a fire or if they have a question.
“We also show them fire fighting equipment,” Station Commander Maynard said.
If schools would like the local FRNSW crew to come to their school and conduct FireED, or parents would like fire safety information for their children, they can contact their local FRNSW Fire Station or go to the FRNSW website at www.fire.nsw.gov.au for fact sheets and brochures.
