Stop, drop and roll
Sally Nicholas/courtesy photoSparky, a fire safety dog with Grant County Fire District No. 5, visits with students Monday at Longview Elementary School.
MOSES LAKE - The youngest students at Longview Elementary School learned fire safety Monday.
Fire District No. 5 brought a fire truck to school and reiterated fire safety tips learned at an assembly earlier in the day in recognition of Fire Prevention Month, said Captain Robert Horst.
Emergency Medical Services Operations Chief Barbie Maier spoke to students at the assembly.
Kindergarten, first-and second-grade students participated in the activities, said teacher Sally Nicholas, who helped organize the event.
Students learned from the fire district about the fire-fighting profession, Horst said.
He said the fire district also visited Larson Elementary School and Knolls Vista Elementary School for the same purpose.
"It's fun," he said. "It gets us out of the station, so that's good."
One fairly new addition to fire-safety education is teaching students about having a meeting place in case of a fire, Horst said.
"One little boy said he goes to the basement, which is very bad," he said.
He said he believes the student misunderstood the question.
Second-grade student Jarred Philips, 7, said he participated in the same event last year, but he still learned some new information.
"If you don't wear a helmet, your head can get broken," Philips said.
The best part of the event was seeing an illustration of a mouse wearing a helmet to get cheese from a mousetrap, he said. The picture was displayed on a projection screen during the assembly.
Second-grade student Erika Garcia, 7, said she also learned something new this year.
"If you don't wear your seat belt, your back can get broken," Garcia said.
She said the best part for her was seeing a watermelon squashed during the assembly.
Nicholas said she helped organize the event as a teacher at Grant Elementary School in Ephrata, and then at Longview Elementary School when she started teaching in Moses Lake last year.
Last year, the event included only second-grade students, and this year the event opened to more grades.
The fire department set aside 320 yellow fire hats for the students, Nicholas said.
"Kids need to learn more about fire safety in the homes and the escape routes, how to get out," Nicholas said.
The event offers an opportunity to let the firefighters know the community appreciates their efforts, she said.