Photograph by George Sakkestad
Christie LeBaudour, public information officer for the Central Fire District, directs third-grader Nick Harris as he learns to crawl out of an artificially created smoke-filled bedroom.
By Shari Kaplan
As part of its ongoing Fire and Life Safety programs geared toward children, the Santa Clara County Central Fire Protection District's interactive new SAFE House has been making the rounds of local schools, including last week's stops at Daves Avenue.
On Oct. 18 and 23, fire district personnel guided groups of students through the Safety Awareness and Fire Education House, a 28-foot trailer converted into a scaled-down version of a two-story home complete with a kitchen, hallway, living room, stairs and bedroom.
Before entering the house, fire district public information officer Christie LeBaudour and Fire Capt. John Chew taught students how to "stop, drop and roll" if their clothing catches on fire. Students also tried their hands at changing the batteries of a smoke detector and testing it.
Inside the house, LeBaudour pointed out safety hazards in each room. In the living room, for example, students learned about keeping flammable papers away from fireplaces, not leaving candles unattended and never playing with matches or lighters. Students also used a phone to practice calling 911.
In the kitchen, equipped with a fire extinguisher, stove, oven, microwave and sink, students learned how to deal with cooking fires, how to handle hot foods and drinks, and how to treat burns.
Upstairs in the bedroom, students reviewed general fire-safety tips, including the importance of having two escape routes from each room and having a prearranged family meeting place in case of fire. A smoke machine then filled the air with a cloudy haze, followed by the shrill beeping of a smoke alarm. This was students' cue to crawl onto the house's "balcony" and climb down the fire escape ladder.
"Our fire district is very proactive; we often do things in the schools. We're trying to direct our program to life and personal safety, not just fire safety," LeBaudour said, explaining about the classroom portion of the SAFE House program.
Along with their hands-on experience, students also viewed and discussed a 16-minute video covering fire prevention and safety, dealing with emergencies, how to prepare safe and healthy snacks and how to answer the door and telephone when they are home alone.
"The most interesting thing was when the smoke came in the house, and you couldn't see. Some people got so scared, they lifted their heads up instead of keeping them down. It was kind of weird in there," said 8-year-old Kristi Presley, a third-grader in teacher Sloane Devoto's class. Kristi was also impressed with checking out the living room and its safety hazards and the chance to make a 911 call.
"The bedroom was cool. There's a real bed in there," said Kourosh Behnan, 8, also in Devoto's class. The smoke didn't bother him, Kourosh said. He just dropped to his knees, closed his mouth and kept breathing through his nose as he made his way onto the balcony. He also enjoyed learning about how to stop, drop and roll.
This article appeared in the Los Gatos Weekly-Times, October 30, 1996.
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