By Lessie Scurry
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

HAPEVILLE, Ga. — Fire Sgt. Casey Hart of the Hapeville Fire Department has been clowning around for about 25 years and has no plans to stop.

Nor does DeKalb County Battalion Chief Sue Loeffler, who has been one of the silliest people in her circle for a little less than half that time.

Both firefighters have been formally trained as clowns to help teach children about fire prevention.

Hart, aka "Banjo," put that training into action recently at Hapeville Elementary School. Banjo was joined by five other Hapeville firefighter clowns — Peaches, Sam, BooBoo, Bobo and Junior Junior.

The crew was greeted with screams of joy. The kindergartners through fifth-graders clapped, laughed, chanted and "high-fived" the clowns during a 45-minute Fire Prevention Week show that was entertaining yet taught safety practices at the same time.

After two shows, Hart and the other firefighters — Gary Ramsey, John Brady, Stephen Foster, Lt. Joe Overton, and Capt. David Bloodworth — packed up their props and traveled across town to Hapeville's St. John the Evangelist Catholic School for an afternoon show.

They are among about 500 firefighters, emergency medical technicians and police officers from across the state who've completed the 40-hour training sessions at the Georgia Public Safety Training Center in Forsyth.

"Most every community in the state has had someone come through the course," said Freddie Howell, founder and instructor of the clown training course, called Alternative Teaching Methods.

Howell, now of the Kingsland Fire Department near the Florida state line, said he saw someone in Florida teach the class years ago and was so impressed that he presented the idea to the Georgia Fire Academy, which implemented the program in 1991.

Loeffler said most children welcome clowns, but some are afraid. "Once I did a birthday party and the parents sent the girl to open the door, and when she saw me she screamed and ran, so I screamed and ran, too," she said. "So during the party, I ignored her and talked to all the other kids, just as I'd been taught to do. Before the party was over, she was just dying to be my friend."

The Hapeville clown squad built a stage called Clown Town and uses short skits to teach fire safety tips such as how to talk to a 911 dispatcher and to show children what it would sound like if a firefighter were trying to save them from a fire.

"If you're a child and a fire breaks out in the dark, the firefighter could sound like a monster," Hart said. "We don't want them afraid of the one who's come to help."

DeKalb County will host a Safety Fair from noon to 4 p.m. Oct. 29 at Perimeter Mall. Activities will include a fire simulator house, blood pressure screenings, and bubbles and balloons by "Pokey" (aka Sue Loeffler).

For more information about fire safety programs, call your local fire department's education office. 

Copyright 2007 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution