Atlas Twp. — Clad in heavy tan clothing, the figure crawls along the floor, sounding like Darth Vader.
“She looks like an alien,” said the first-graders as they yelled out directions: “I’m over here.”
“Take a look at how different she looks,” said Reid Elementary teacher Nancy Tenniswood, as the children patted Firefighter Kim Petit.
The exercise was part of Fire Prevention Week at the Atlas Township Fire Hall.
Reid Elementary kindergartners and first-graders visited the fire station last week to view a safety video, become familiar with the appearance of firefighters’ gear, and learn about the fire trucks and the rescue vehicle.
“These are all the controls,” said fire prevention coordinator Ed Klimek, standing next to gleaming No. 21-14.
The annual fire education program in Goodrich focuses on young elementary pupils.
Stop, drop, and roll is the standard instruction, but as the most fire-conscious members of many homes, kids are also taught not to remove batteries from smoke detectors, to always look for two exits from any building, to sleep with the doors shut, practice fire drills, to keep low if there’s smoke in the house, to call 911 without hanging up the phone, and that they can remove their jacket to smother fire.
Atlas Township Firefighter Kim Petit crawls through Nancy Tenniswood’s first-grade class dressed in fire gear.