MOFFAT – On April 29, the Moffat Fire Department hosted Moffat Elementary School students for a safety experience and educational lesson at the fire station. Elementary children from the school marched in excited and eager to learn about the different things the fire department crew do in the event of emergencies and fires.
Assistant Moffat Fire Department Chief Francisco Silva talked about the kids and how they were really enjoying themselves,” The kids were all smiles and seemed to enjoy everything. We taught them a lot of age-appropriate ways to keep themselves safe. It was a fun event with the kids. They learned a lot with us.”
Silva said that the Northern Saguache Ambulance District also attended the event. The first responders spoke to the kids about important safety measures to take, to help others and to help themselves in an emergency. There was also a bus driver demonstration that took place.
The fire department showed children all their fire equipment and spoke to the kids about how the fire equipment is used. The crew also showed the children what they looked like in and out of their uniforms. Silva said, “We really wanted to stress to the kids that if they see us in uniform not to be afraid of us. Some kids get scared when they see adults in uniforms, and they do not understand what they do. We wanted the kids to know that even though we look different in uniforms we are there to help them.”
The crew also spoke to the children about what to do in a fire and how to keep themselves safe, using age-appropriate lessons. Silva stated the kids were taught about safety planning in the event of a fire and ways to safely escape in case of a fire.
Silva said the kids really liked the idea of Sparky the Safety Dog, too. “We showed the kids Sparky the Safety dog and talked to them about his safety rules. The kids seemed really responsive to everything we showed them.”
Silva stated the kids asked a lot of questions and enjoyed looking at the fire equipment and hearing about what each of the different organizations did to help people stay safe in the event of emergencies.
“It was just a really enjoyable day with the kids.” The kids all received tote bags, that contained fun activities and information about staying safe. Silva stated that after working with the kids he is hoping to make it an annual event. “We are hoping that we can do something like this with the kids every year. It is important for the kids to learn about the ambulance, first responders, and the fire department. It is important for the children to know that we are there to help, if we need to.”
