LIVERMORE — Lt. Nixon Ortiz of the Livermore Falls Fire Department visited Spruce Mountain Primary School Oct. 7 during Fire Prevention Week, engaging students with important fire safety tips. Ortiz spoke to the children about the importance of smoke detectors, urging them to remind their parents to change the batteries annually.

“This month, every year, is the time to change your smoke detector batteries,” Ortiz said.

Ortiz led an interactive session, asking students what to do if a smoke detector goes off. One child correctly noted, “If you don’t change the battery, you won’t know there’s a fire.” Ortiz emphasized not to open a door during a fire without checking if it’s hot, and instead advised using windows to breathe fresh air and signal for help by throwing toys out of the window.

He reassured the students, saying the firefighters will have helmets, so don’t worry about hitting them with a toy.

The children enthusiastically asked questions about which toys they could throw and whether firefighters could withstand the impact. Ortiz demonstrated fire escape techniques, encouraging the students to stop, drop, and roll if their clothes caught fire, while reminding them not to run.

Ortiz stressed that while firefighters will try to save pets, the first priority is always rescuing people. The visit concluded with a gear race between two firefighters, who later crawled among the students, demonstrating how they navigate fires to rescue children.

In response to student questions, Ortiz shared that firefighters had saved dogs, cats, lizards, chickens, and even cows–but, much to the students’ disappointment, no polar bears yet.

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