Firefighters educate summer campers
To the editor:
What a busy few weeks at the firehouse! Crews enjoyed teaching the Beacon of H.O.P.E Spirit Summer Camp all about fire safety, which included fire extinguisher training, a simulated smoked filled room and stop drop and roll. Learning did not stop there for those eager campers. They all got certified in American Heart CPR/AED training.
We also had the junior life guards from the Pine Island pool visit the station for a fire safety seminar which consisted of fire safety education and the simulated smoke room.
Both groups enjoyed and benefited from our simulated smoke filled room. We actually use a smoke machine to fill up the classroom at Station 1 with smoke. This mimics the smoky conditions during a structure fire. Participants needed to get low and crawl through the smoke, keeping one hand on the wall to stay oriented in order to find a safe way out of the classroom.
Our crews have also been out at Matlacha Park assisting the summer camp with a cookout as well as cooling the kids off the firefighter way: with the water gun and hoses! Those campers also got to learn all about fire safety.
Benjamin Mickuleit
Deputy Chief
Matlacha/Pine Island Fire Control District