A group of children rushed to put out a blaze in the backyard of the Columbus Boys and Girls Club, last week.
“We came through and put it out with the red line, a small fire hose,” said Javonta Smith, 13.
By the end of the week, the children also had drawn the layouts for their bedrooms and planned two escape routes.
But it was all in a day”s work for nearly 60 area children who graduated from the Kids” Fire Academy at the Columbus Boys and Girls Club on Friday.
And the children”s daily lessons, which ranged from fire safety to emergency preparedness, won”t soon be forgotten.
“I learned every house needs a fire alarm and about things to do in a hazard,” said Javonta, son of Ronald Smith and Tawanda Dukes. Javonta, who received an award for outstanding performance at the academy, will be a freshman at Columbus High School next year.
Others were intrigued by firefighting equipment that they don”t often get a chance to see.
“We saw the fire truck outside, and I liked learning about the fire hoses,” said Alexandria Harris, 10, daughter of Anessia and Sandford Roger Harris of Caledonia
“I hope you will take these skills and put them to use,” Columbus Mayor Robert Smith said. Smith was on hand to give certificates to those who had completed the program.
The academy, which was funded by a grant from the Mississippi State Department of Health, taught students in two groups: one for 7- to 10-year-olds and another for 11- to 14-year-olds. Throughout the week, the children learned the role of firefighters, how to use 911, home hazards, first aid and how to respond to a fire safely and effectively.
The courses were taught by instructors from the Columbus Fire Department and Columbus-Lowndes Emergency Management Agency. For these teachers, the value of the class was more than just a fun time.
“It can either save their life or the life of one of their loved ones,” said Ray Whitson, who spent 22 years in the Navy before becoming a fireman at Station One. “It”s always a positive experience teaching and being a role model. The earlier you catch (kids) and be positive, the better their chances and opportunities in life.”
It was a pleasure for Whitson to see the students become actively involved in what he was trying to teach.
“They drew a layout of their bedroom and had to choose two exits,” he said. “It went from them sitting down to showing how they would actually exit if they had to.”
Other instructors agreed that the experience was thoroughly rewarding.
“They were really responsive, especially with the section on tornadoes,” said Cindy Lawrence, director of the Department of Emergency Management. “Some of the kids remembered them and how they felt and what they did on days when we had tornadoes.”
She remembered one cadet who told her about a tornado that hit Stokes-Beard Elementary School in 2002. The next day, the student found her report card stuck in the branches of a tree next to the school.
One of the most important parts of the program is how it indirectly teaches parents as well, Lawrence said.
“When you teach kids,” she said, “they take it home to their parents.”
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