WILTON — Crawling out the door of a smoke-filled trailer, kindergarten students from Cushing School quickly grabbed Sparky’s hand Thursday at the Wilton Fire Department.
Several gave the Fire Department mascot a quick hug.
“It’s play smoke,” fire Chief Sonny Dunham told the students from three kindergarten classes who were there for lessons on fire safety in observance of Fire Prevention Week.
The trailer, fixed like a bedroom inside, was not meant to scare them, he said.
Instead, Wilton firefighters were showing them what to do if their bedroom filled with smoke.
When the trailer fills with smoke, smoke detectors sound and the children are instructed to drop to the floor, crawl to the door, feel the door for heat and then exit, Dunham said.
The trailer, owned by the Chesterville Fire Department, is borrowed for demonstrations by local fire departments, firefighter Thom Walker said.
All grades at Cushing School were to visit the fire station Thursday at different times, Dunham said.
The young students were excited, giving Dunham and Sparky high-fives on their way into the station.
Inside, Dunham talked to them about playing with matches, the use of fire detectors and how to make a 911 call.
One little girl quickly jumped up, covered her eyes, dropped to the floor and rolled when Dunham asked what to do if their clothes were on fire.
Firefighter Steve Smith pulled on his gear as Dunham explained how the oxygen mask would make him sound like Darth Vader. He crawled around the floor tapping a metal tool as he would in the darkness and smoke of a real fire, Dunham said.
It’s always two firefighters who will come looking for you in a fire and they’ll be asking if anyone is there, he said. He warned the children to not hide from them but instead to answer and say, “I’m here.”
Working with Dunham at the station Thursday were Steve Smith, Bob Burdick, George Guptill, Thom Walker, Lance Lemieux and Michelle Leavitt.
Firefighter wives Linda Dunham, Elaine Doak and Terri Lakin served the children milk and cookies.
abryant@sunjournal.com
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- Kindergarten students at Cushing School in Wilton exit a smoke-training trailer Thursday with help from Sparky and Wilton fire Chief Sonny Dunham.
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- Wilton firefighters Steve Smith, left in gear, and Bob Burdick, right, show Heidi Luce’s kindergarten class from Cushing School in Wilton what to do when a room fills with smoke.
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- Kindergarten students from Cushing School in Wilton exit a smoke-training trailer Thursday with help from Sparky and Wilton fire Chief Sonny Dunham.
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- Wilton fire Chief Sonny Dunham, left, and firefighter Steve Smith, in gear, show Cushing School kindergartners what a firefighter would look like if he were searching for them during a fire.
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- Wilton fire Chief Sonny Dunham welcomes kindergarten students from Cushing School in Wilton on Thursday as they visited during Fire Prevention Week.
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