FARMINGTON – A few giggles escaped from three girls as they crawled along the floor of the fire station blindfolded, dizzy and disorientated, searching for an exit.

The sixth-graders were intentionally put in the situation that despite the lack of smoke and fire had a similar effect as being in a burning building.

Firefighters Abbie Davenport, Aaron Gordon and Jody Michaud, all graduates of a high school firefighter training academy, had covered the girls’ eyes with blue cloth.

Once the blindfolds were secure, firefighters turned the girls in a circle five times, then led them carefully out from amongst the tables and chairs at the Farmington Fire Rescue Department’s classroom.

The girls had been given instructions on how they were supposed to stay together to find the nearest exit.

The three had a dry run without a blind fold a few minutes before. When they could see, they went around a table and crawled out quickly, sticking together.

But when they couldn’t see and were disoriented, they tended to feel for the wall, sometimes bumping into it and they didn’t stay together. One even ended up having to back out from under chair legs.

The exercise brought forth a few nervous giggles but drove home the importance of having a fire escape plan at their homes and other homes they visit.

It was the first after-school fire prevention class held for Cascade Brook sixth-graders.

Davenport has planned three more classes.

The three girls had initially said they were interested in learning more about preventing fire and becoming firefighters.

The petite Davenport, a full-time firefighter and one of the first graduates of the Foster Regional Applied Technology Center’s academy, explained how she and other firefighters work out to keep strong and fit to handle the strenuous job.

“It’s hard, it really is,” Davenport said of being a firefighter.

She also noted that she originally wanted to be a veterinarian but chose the firefighting profession instead.

Michaud also noted that she wanted to be a cook but after taking the Firefighter I course, she changed her mind.

The girls appeared to listen attentively and watched Davenport demonstrate how fire works, how it’s snuffed out, importance of escape drills and smoke detectors.

Davenport captured the girls’ attention as soon as she said “All right girls” and gingerly lifted herself up to sit atop a table facing them and launched into lessons.

dperry@sunjournal.com

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