By Lauren Gregory
Chattanooga Times Free Press (Tennessee)
Copyright 2007 Chattanooga Publishing Company
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. — Students at the Barger Academy of Fine Arts no longer will have to wait for a real emergency to learn what a smoke detector’s warning sounds like, where “9-1-1" is on the telephone keypad or how to stop, drop and roll.
And soon, neither will thousands of other area children, thanks to the Chattanooga Fire Department’s new Fire Safety House.
“Children learn from physical stimulation, from really seeing what to do,” said Fire Marshal Craig Haney, who helped unveil the mobile home at Barger on Tuesday. “It’ll be great to concentrate our efforts (in fire safety education) with what we have here and see what we’ll be able to do with it.”
The safety house, along with a new van to tow it and its two robotic mascots, Sparky the Dalmatian and Freddy the fire engine, cost more than $100,000, Mr. Haney said. The package was bought recently with homeland security grant money supplemented by city funds, he said.
Outfitted with a kitchen, living room and bedroom, the trailer also features a fire-safe burn room for sprinkler demonstrations and can provide realistic imitations of severe weather situations for further disaster preparedness training.
Various equipment in the house can be adapted to different age or interest groups, Mr. Haney said. Fire officials envision taking the trailer around to schools, churches, day care centers and other locations that might request education, he said.
Tuesday’s demonstration began with educators — including Sparky, the day’s fire safety spokesman and an obvious crowd favorite among the kindergartners clustered around him all morning — reinforcing tried-and-true lessons in “fall and crawl” and “get out and stay out.”
They then were able to bring those lessons to life in the safety house, which was pumped with smoke to let them practice getting out and remembering to head for a designated meeting place.
Brandon Baker, 6, said Sparky helped him remember what to do.
“It’s good, ‘cause he teaches us what to do with fires and everything,” Brandon said. “I didn’t know very much (before).”
Sparky taught 5-year-old Jakobi Smith some important lessons, too. After using a brightly colored cape to pretend her clothes were on fire, she knew what to do.
“Stop, drop and roll!” Jakobi exclaimed.
Students on Tuesday also got to draw their own escape plans, dial 911 on a practice phone and rehearse what to say to emergency dispatchers.
Caitlin Sims, Barger Academy’s principal, called the activities “incredible” learning opportunities for her students.
“The interactive component is so exciting for them,” Ms. Sims said. “And to hear it from the firefighters is really reinforcing. ... The kids get to see and meet their community role models, so it’s like they’re meeting their actual heroes.”
Mr. Haney said he hoped the children would remember to bring that excitement home with them to share the techniques they learned with their parents.
“I can’t remember the last time we had a fire with injuries at a school,” he said. “Fires happen in the home, and people don’t practice fire drills at home.”