by KIAWANA RICH
Fire's the last thing anyone wants to contend with during a heat wave, one more reason why city firefighters visited the Staten Island Mental Health Society's Kingsley Head Start Center to teach fire safety yesterday. "It's important that the children know about fire safety and know what to do in case they have a fire at their house," said teacher Amy Craine, 24, noting that the New Brighton program's 65 children, ages 3 to 5, also learn about fire safety in the classroom. Firefighter Mike Jones of the FDNY Fire Safety Education Unit drilled the children on some crucial points. "What can we do if we catch on fire?" he asked the children. "Stop, drop and roll," they shouted back. Jones enlisted Sierra Martinson, 5, of New Brighton, telling her, "Get on your knees, put your hands across your eyes, stretch out like you're sleeping and roll over. Now go back again, go back again." Once Sierra got the hang of it, all the children cheered. Jones also explained that real fires are not like those on TV. "If you want to see what the inside of a fire is like, cover your eyes," he told the children. "It's almost pitch-black; you can't see anything and it's real hot." To escape from a fire, Jones told the children, you get onto your knees, "You put your hand against the wall and keep crawling -- that's what firefighters do." Despite the heat, Jones was able to keep the children's attention for awhile -- until the big red fire truck from Engine Co. 155 in New Brighton arrived. "That was it. Even though they've seen it before, all they want to do is go on the fire truck," said assistant teacher Kerri Nasta, 25. Capt. Tom Calkins of Engine 155 said the kids love the fire truck and stressed that despite the heat, firefighters never complain about doing their job, "Whether it is 95 degrees or zero degrees."
 |
