Students learn importance of smoke detectors and escape plans
NEGAUNEE TOWNSHIP — Waking up to a bedroom filled with smoke is a scary situation that few of us ever wish to face. Second graders from Lakeview Elementary School experienced that very same scenario Wednesday at the Negaunee Township Fire Station as part of their latest Fire Prevention Week lesson.
Firefighters filled their specially designed smoke house with fog, safely giving students a first-hand look at what a smoke-filled room is like. The lesson is two-fold: it shows kids the importance of working smoke detectors while allowing them to practice techniques like staying low and yelling for help when trying to escape from a potentially burning building.
“It gives them an idea of what it’s really like to be inside a smoke-filled room when your smoke detector didn’t go off and how hard it is to see and navigate through even a familiar environment,” said Captain Marc Herring of the Negaunee Township Fire Department.
The smoke house demonstration goes hand-in-hand with students’ home escape plans, which were practiced by many in a township- and city-wide drill on Monday night.
After the day’s successful rescue, students were given a look at the firefighters’ life-saving equipment.