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Members of Fort Oglethorpe Fire and Rescue teach fire prevention education at Heritage High School to elementary students from all across Catoosa County. From left are city of Fort Oglethorpe Fire Marshal Assistant Fire Chief Glenn Davis, Pvt. Tobey Hill, Capt. Larry Honeycutt, Cpl. Kelly Correll, Explorer Tyler Kapherr, Explorer Chris Dean, Capt. Ron Kibble and Battalion Fire Chief Gary McGhee. Fort Oglethorpe Fire and Rescue won the 2009 Georgia Fire Safety Educators of the Year for the Fire Escape Island fire prevention play production. Photo by Katie Ward
Every October, Fire Safety Week is at the top of the agenda for members of Fort Oglethorpe Fire and Rescue. Not only do they teach primary and elementary school students the ins and outs of preventing fires, they also get to share their creative side.
“We don’t just put on a show,” said Fort Oglethorpe Fire Marshal Glenn Davis. “It’s a theatrical event with all the music, sound and lights. We’ve written our own play to help teach children about fire safety.”
Members from Fort Oglethorpe Fire and Rescue used to travel from school to school showing films about fire safety. However, they discovered their liking and talent for creating stage productions and wanted to find a way to share their message on a larger scale.
Fort Oglethorpe Fire and Rescue won the 2009 Georgia Fire Safety Educators of the Year for the Fire Escape Island fire prevention play production.
Last week children arrived on buses and entered the Heritage High School auditorium where Davis and crew took them on a journey through “Safetyland,” this year’s play of choice.
“It’s like the game or the movie ‘Candyland,’” Davis explained. “We get the children to play along with us going from location to location to uncover important safety tips and ultimately find the key of knowledge that takes them to the grand celebration.”
Issues addressed in the production include the importance of a working smoke detector and making sure to change the batteries, exit drills in the home and how to call 911. Thanks to the help and efforts of the local fire and rescue team, approximately 6,000 children are now more aware of this important issue.
“The cheapest way to fight a fire is to prevent it,” Davis said. “We want our kids to be fire-safe, know what to do if there is a fire and know how to help prevent them. If we can keep one child from getting hurt by a fire, then we’ve done our job.”
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