For Immediate Release

Monday, Oct. 15, 2018

Contact: John Guilfoil
Phone: 617-993-0003
Email: john@jgpr.net

Hull Elementary School Students Participate in Fire Prevention Week

HULL — Students at Lillian M. Jacobs Elementary School received a special visit from the Hull Fire Department last week to refresh their fire prevention skills.

Oct. 7-13 marked National Fire Prevention Week, and to ensure children are prepared in the event of an emergency, Fire Capt. Steve Johnson, Capt. Gary Twombly, Firefighter Brian Thompson, Firefighter Jake Williamson and Firefighter Tyler Pari met with students in pre-kindergarten through fifth grade for some important lessons.

In 1925, President Calvin Coolidge declared Fire Prevention Week a national observance, making it the country’s longest running public observance. Each year, the week is observed to coincide with the anniversary of the Great Chicago Fire of 1871 on Oct. 8, where more than 250 people were killed and more than 2,000 acres of land burned.

This year’s campaign, which changes annually, was centered on the message: “Look. Listen. Learn. Be aware. Fire can happen anywhere.”

Look – Students were educated on potential fire hazards within their home and where to look for them.

Listen – Capt. Johnson reminded students that whenever they hear a fire alarm, they should exit their home immediately and leave all belongings and pets behind. “Get out and stay out,” Capt. Twombly added. “We will arrive quickly and rescue your pets.”

Learn – Firefighters asked that students talk with their families to learn two ways out of every room in their house in the event that one is obstructed by fire.

Capt. Johnson and Capt. Twombly, along with firefighters Thompson, Williamson and Pari visited students on Oct. 9-11, where they led customized 30-minute training sessions for each grade. During every class, firefighters reviewed lessons from last year’s Fire Prevention Week and used captivating visuals to guide their presentations.

• Pre-kindergarten: Stop, drop and roll – students practiced the maneuver on gymnastic mats as the firemen assisted them. Once all students had the opportunity to practice they received a tour of a fire engine.
• Kindergarten: Firefighters are community helpers – Capt. Twombly and Capt. Johnson disused the role of fireman within their community. Additionally, Firefighter Thompson demonstrated how each piece of equipment is put on before entering a burning building in an effort to alleviate any fears students may have had when seeing a firefighter dressed in his or her gear.
• First grade: Crawl low under smoke – students learned about how smoke rises and practiced crawling on their hands and knees on the gymnastic mats.
• Second grade: Escape plans – students were instructed to speak with their families to plan two escape routes from their house as well as meeting places once outside. (“Get out and stay out.”)
• Third grade: What is fire? – students were introduced to the fire tetrahedron, a four-sided geometric representation of the four factors necessary for fire: heat, fuel, oxygen and chemical chain reaction.
• Fourth grade: Reporting emergencies – students learned how to identify emergencies and the proper methods to report them.
• Fifth grade: Cooking safety – safety precautions around cooking were discussed.

At the end of the interactive presentation, each student left with a fire safety pencil, bracelet and plastic firefighter helmet.

Additionally, each student was given a poster board and asked to draw a picture that represents what they learned during Fire Prevention Week. Posters are due on Oct. 19. The Hull Fire Department will pick one poster from each grade level that best represented Fire Prevention Week and award the student who drew it a ride to school on a fire engine. Fifth grade students were also asked to write one paragraph summarizing what they learned.

“Every year Hull firefighters do an amazing job taking on the roles of teachers to educate our students about the importance of fire prevention,” Assistant Principal Kyle Shaw said. “Throughout their presentations, students were curious, engaged and enjoyed showing off some of the tips they learned from firefighters. Thank you to the Hull Fire Department for taking the time to meet with our students.”

###