Firefighter Loren and Tim show engine compartments where various firefighter tools and equipment are stored.

“Hi firefighters” yelled excited kids as they excited their school’s front doors to find four Portland firefighters and a bright, shiny fire engine.

Just in time to celebrate the end of Fire Safety Week at the school, Lieutenant Carlos and Firefighters Tim, Loren, and Laurent from Station 24 visited the Peninsula Children’s Center to provide an engine tour, a fire safety talk, and plastic helmets and coloring books to six classes of kids ages 18 months to three years.

Peninsula Children’s Center is a nonprofit organization certified by the Oregon Child Care Division, and serves 160 children ages 6-weeks to 12-years-old every year.

Firefighters reinforced when kids should call 9-1-1, and then showed the eager kids the tools and equipment firefighters use to fight fires.  Firefighter Loren reminded kids that during a fire, it’s important not to be frightened by a firefighter in full gear even though they might look scary. Loren encouraged the kids to go to the firefighter, and not run away and hide.

Portland Fire & Rescue encourages all community members to talk to their kids often about fire safety. In addition, work as a family to create a home fire escape plan.  Start by drawing your floor plan, and then from each room, decide on two ways to get out. Use markers or crayons to color-code escape paths with directional arrows. Make sure to also select an outside meeting place where everyone will gather after escaping, such as a mailbox, lamppost, or specific tree.

   Portland Fire & Rescue 

   We Respond: Always Ready, Always There

   January 28, 2011

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