Students have fun learning fire safety

    CARIBOU, Maine — Young elementary students spent  some time last week learning why they should stay away from fire and matches — and they had a blast doing it.
Between May 14-16, Woodland first- and second-graders, Connor students from pre-K to third grade, New Sweden students from kindergarten to second grade and all of Hilltop Elementary visited the Caribou Fire Department and were given memorable, educational and fun lessons on fire safety.
Hilltop second-graders Dylan Bouchard and Laura Plourde were part of the last class of the week to visit the fire department, and they’re pretty knowledgeable on the how’s and why’s of fire safety.
With a very serious expression, Bouchard stated the most important piece of information he learned through the field trip.
“Do not play with matches or fire,” he said very seriously.
But if a fire breaks out and your clothes catch on fire, Plourde says you need to stop, drop, and roll — making sure to cover your face and eyes. The second-graders said you do this for two reasons.
“Because smoke could get in your mouth and hurt your lungs and stuff,” Bouchard said,
“And sharp rocks or anything like that could hurt your eyes, and you can’t get another set of eyes, but your hands can get healed,” Plourde added.
They also learned to stay low if there is smoke around, and to check to see if doors are hot before they open them.
“We learned from the fire person out in the forest to not put anything hot near your house or near the woods because it could kill animals or trees or burn down your house, and that wouldn’t be good,” Plourde mentioned.
If the two seem like experts (for their age) on fire safety, it’s no surprise to Caribou Firefighter/Paramedic/Learn Not To Burn Coordinator Scott Jackson.
The Fire Department works with the schools to introduce valuable fire safety lessons to young students. From the time the children start as pre-K students to their seasoned second-grade years, Jackson enjoys seeing how much knowledge they’ve retained.
“By the time they’re in second grade, they know it off the top of their heads,” Jackson said.
The Caribou Fire Department has been educating youths this way since the 1980s, and if there’s one thing he hopes students have learned over the years it’s that     “If there is a fire in their house, that they know to get outside safely, have a meeting place and be able to call 9-1-1,” Jackson said.
Plourde knew that part, and added some bonus material of her own.
“Make sure that when the alarm goes off, make sure that you’ve practiced and stay calm.”
Firefighters educated the students as to how they look in full protective gear, and Bouchard and Plourde both uttered a unanimous “No!” when asked if firefighters look scary.
“They were really nice,” Plourde said of the firefighters who taught her fire safety on May 16. “Don’t be scared of them if you’re in your house and you’re yelling and you’re yelling and then you see this big person with a mask — don’t run because they’re trying to save your life.”
While the youths had much to say about the firefighters and their fire department experience, they each had something to say to the firefighters themselves.
Again, full of seriousness, Bouchard said “I will never play with matches or with fire.”
Nodding in agreement, Plourde wanted to tell the firefighters “Thank you for doing your job; you sometimes can save our lives.”