Marquette students learn about fire prevention

MARQUETTE — It’s National Fire Prevention Week, and the theme this year is “Working Smoke Alarms Save Lives.” The Marquette Fire Department is one of many groups of firefighters promoting that message to the community’s youth.

First-graders from Sandy Knoll Elementary School were among the first school groups to visit Marquette’s fire house as part of this week’s fire prevention programming. Students touring the facility were given a number of lessons on both preventing fire and what to do if one does break out.

“The younger kids will learn stop, drop, and roll, how to crawl low under smoke,” said Capt. Dean Mallos of the Marquette City Fire Department. “They learn fire safety in the kitchen, how to have an escape plan from the home and also a meeting place outside, and (we) also give them some information that they usually take home and quiz mom and dad about and the rest of the family, so it does get the whole family involved checking smoke detectors and making sure that things are stored safely in the home.”

In addition to meeting Sparky the Fire Dog, the first-graders were shown firefighting equipment and learned how a firefighter gears up to battle blazes. While they will be hosting several more tours this week and beyond, the Marquette Fire Department will also be heading to several Marquette schools with their Fire Prevention House, which helps students learn proper techniques for exiting a smoke-filled structure.

As part of Fire Prevention Week, a static display of firefighting equipment from around the area will be shown near Harlow Park in Marquette on Saturday at 11:30 a.m. That event was originally scheduled to happen this past weekend but was postponed due to weather.