DNR teaches kids about wildfire safety

Members from the Baraga Department of Natural Resources kicked off their tour of schools in the Upper Peninsula Tuesday to talk about the importance of wildfire safety.

The first stop was at South Range Elementary School to teach students about how to calculate adjective ratings, which are used to the describe the fire danger level based on weather conditions.

Forest Fire Supervisor Brian Mench said the DNR always makes a concerted effort to speak to younger children about fire hazards.

“Just makes them more aware when they are out camping with the family and they know how important it will be to put out their fires completely without leaving them because the winds can reactivate the fire and stuff like that,” he said.

Mench adds that many things students learn in the classroom can be applied when talking about wildfire prevention.

“We can kind of show them some real life instances and they can use their math skills, being it’s in a school. They can utilize those skills and see how important math can be in some of these real life instances that they can bring to the classroom.”

For more information on what you can do to prevent wildfires, contact your local DNR office.