The kindergarten children got down on their hands and knees as they would during a fire and could see how different the room looks from the ground.
The big red fire trucks really got the students attention.
Visitors to the firehouse will see all the firefighting gear. Seen here: Lt. Robbie Vought.
“Stop, drop and roll.” These three words may save your life, according to Robbie Vought, who repeated the drill to a group of 23 kindergarten students from Cornwall-on-Hudson eager to learn about fire prevention.
Vought, who is a lieutenant in Storm King Fire Engine Company #2, is holding classes all this week for the elementary students in the brick building across the street from the fire station. He teaches them what to do if they are in their bedrooms and smell smoke. He also told them to check to be sure that their homes are equipped with smoke detectors when they return from school.
It’s all part of the annual Fire Prevention Week and, for years, the volunteer firefighters throughout Cornwall have been teaching young children how to prevent fires and how to react when fire threatens them.
Vought showed the children how he puts on his firefighting gear – heavy pants and jacket, a hood and mask topped by the helmet. With an oxygen mask covering his face, he spoke with the children to let them know if they ever encountered a firefighter dressed that way they don’t have to be afraid.
The highlight of the hour-long presentation was a tour of the four gleaming red trucks inside the firehouse. The children got a close-up view of the big engines and received fire prevention materials before they lined up to walk back across the street to their school.
