OTISFIELD – Students at the Otisfield Community School got a hands-on lesson in fire prevention tactics Friday morning from those who fight the blazes.

Members of the Otisfield Fire Department arrived in full gear with their mascot Sparky and several firefighting trucks for the annual Fire Prevention Week education classes for pupils in grades kindergarten through six. Students from the Mayberry Hill preschool in Casco also attended the event.

“It started when I first became fire chief at least 15 to 20 years ago,” said retired Otisfield Fire Chief Garry Dyer.

Dyer said the trick is to make sure the activities are fun enough so students retain what they are learning. “You have to keep their attention directed toward it. I think if you make it fun, they can learn and take it (what they learned) home with them.”

For example, students Friday learned the “stop, drop and roll” method if they are on fire. But it just wasn’t a down-on-the floor exercise. After each student went through the process under the watchful eye of firefighter Elton Vazquez, they were able to climb into the Sparky the fire dog inflatable bouncing bag to have a little fun.

Students say they feel prepared for a fire now, thanks to the firefighters’ efforts.

“I learned not to play with fire,” said sixth-grade student Jenna Hutchinson, who noted that her family not only has smoke detectors but also has an emergency plan to get out of the house and meet across the street.

Having one escape plan for the entire family is one of the most important lessons of Fire Prevention Week, said safety officer Pat Haggerty, who coordinated the school events. Firefighters will put out the blaze. Family members need to just get out of the building safely.

Another sixth-grade student, Bailey Bolduc, said the most important lesson she learned was “to always make sure your smoke detectors are working.”

When asked if her house has smoke detectors she smiled proudly and said, “in every room.”

Funding for the day comes from the Otisfield Fire Association and the Kerry Grover Memorial Fund, which was established in memory of the 47-year-old man who was killed in a house fire in Otisfield in December 2002.

Haggerty said that even though firefighters receive no stipend for working at the event, they often take off days from work, to help. One firefighter had just come off a 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. shift and gone directly to the school, she noted.

Pizza Hut also joins the day providing certificates for personal pan pizzas to the students. Aubuchon Hardware provides certificates for free smoke detectors.

“We couldn’t do this without local support,” said Dyer. “We’ve gone from using one person to 10 or 15 people.”