NEENAH (NBC 26) — “Don’t wait. Plan your escape.” - That’s the theme of this year’s Fire Prevention Month.
“This week is very important to us in the fire service,” said Neenah-Menasha Fire Department Assistant Chief Adam Dorn.
The Neenah-Menasha Fire Department has been putting on a fire prevention program in elementary schools for 32 years.
“Over the years it’s evolved to three different skits now and we have over 20 firefighters who take turns presenting the program,” said Neenah-Menasha Fire Department Shift Commander Troy Jahns.
In honor of Fire Prevention Week, the public education team of Neenah-Menasha Fire is helping teach elementary schoolers across the cities about fire safety.
“If we start early and reinforce as we go that message is more ingrained in their head,” said Assistant Chief Dorn.
Fire prevention programs are going on all across the country, but there’s something special about this one.
“We were fortunate a couple of years ago when I received the public education award at a fire inspector conference,” said Shift Commander Jahns. “But I will tell you that there is no ‘I’ in this group, it is a team effort.”
According to Jahns, the award-winning program has even prompted other departments to use their ideas.
“The thing that’s really cool about our program is that although the skits are different, and the characters are different, the message is always the same,” said Shift Commander Jahns.
Each year the kids get to see a different character act out fire prevention tips.
The program teaches kids to stop drop and roll, how to use fire detectors, planning two ways to escape, and to know a meeting place if a fire were to occur.
“All the big things that are so important for every child to know,” said Assistant Chief Dorn.
