EUTAWVILLE - The smell of smoke and a sense of excitement were in the air at St. James Gaillard Elementary School in Eutawville on Oct. 10 as the Eutawville Volunteer Fire Department cranked up the fire safety "Smoke House" as part of its National Fire Prevention Week celebration. This year's theme is "Practice Your Escape Plan."
"We're teaching students the acronym EDITH to stress the importance of 'Exit Drills in the Home' to save lives," Fire Chief Jim Logan said.
The school's 376 students were each given the opportunity to tour the mobile smoke house, where they reviewed specific safety lessons in each of the specially created, child-sized rooms, such as checking stove burners, making sure pan handles were turned inward, keeping fireplace screens closed to prevent flying sparks and testing fire alarms.
Students practiced creating a floor plan with at least two escape routes from each room, learned to determine the safest route through windows, doors and balconies and practiced evacuating a simulated fire and smoke-filled rooms.
Volunteer firefighters were on hand in each room to ensure students remembered to keep moving, not stop to pick up any belongings, keep low to avoid the smoke and move quickly but calmly to the appointed safe area for a head count.
The Smoke House was provided by the S.C. Department of Public Safety and is sponsored in part by the Regional Medical Center Auxiliary, the Dick Horne Foundation, the Junior Service League, The Times and Democrat, Keith Hewitt Jr. Insurance Agencies, the Orangeburg, Bamberg and Calhoun County Safe Kids Coalition and Whatley Automotive.
"I liked learning the 'Stop, Drop and Roll' the best," first-grader Jayden Simmons said. "I was worried about that smoke coming down in there and whether I'd be able to see or not. But I was brave. I kept down like they showed me, and I came out of there just fine."
Students also got to inspect two of the Eutawville VFD's fire engines, including a 3,000-gallon tanker that can pump 250 gallons of water per minute for a period of up to two hours. Capt. Stephen Shuler demonstrated the Elkhart Sidewinder Monitor mounted on the engine's front bumper, used for even quicker fire-response capabilities. The Sidewinder looks like a huge front-mounted water gun and is capable of shooting 125 gallons of water per minute.
The demonstration was only part of the school's week-long program, which also included daily fire safety tips presented in each classroom, daily fire safety videos in the media center and a school-wide discussion of the importance of Fire Prevention Week, which has been observed nationally for 85 years.
"A fire can be a confusing, disorienting experience, where sometimes a matter of seconds can make the difference for survival," Logan said. "Ensuring your home smoke alarms are in working order and planning and practicing what to do ahead of time in case of a fire emergency can give you those few seconds you may need to get your family out of harm's way."
St. James Gaillard Guidance Counselor Carrie Green noted, "It is hoped that students will take skills learned here today back home, sparking even more interest in fire prevention and fire safety in our community."
"We especially stressed to our students and their families this year the importance of planning what they would do in case of a fire emergency," added Assistant Principal Loretta Gadsen. "We hope our work here today will help save lives."
For more information on joining the national Great American Fire Drill of 2007 by creating and practicing your own household fire escape plan, contact the Eutawville Volunteer Fire Department at 803-492-3944, or visit the National Fire Protection Association Web site at http://www.nfpa.org.
T&D Correspondent Diane Gainer can be reached by e-mail at bcdthinktank@yahoo.com. Discuss this and other stories online at TheTandD.com.