Jr. Firefighter camp teaches children fire safety

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Jessica D. Keith
  • 17th Training Wing Public Affairs
GOODFELLOW AIR FORCE BASE, Texas --  A smiling little boy frantically tries to hold on and aim as a powerful stream of water under high pressure shoots out of the water hose in his hands. His target: three orange safety cones and two basketballs lying more than 20 feet away. 

This is just one of the exercises a group of twelve children go through in the Jr. Firefighter Camp.

The camp is designed to reinforce safety principals the children learn in school while teaching them what it is like to be a firefighter. Now in its 4th year, the once annual camp lasted from July 26 through July 30.

During the five-day course the children are instructed on everything from home and fire safety to basic first aid. The children are taught how to use a fire extinguisher and how to bandage a small wound and control bleeding. They also learn simple fire prevention and fire safety rules.

The children also get a chance to use a fire hose to knock-down targets and use specialized equipment to rescue a dummy named Steve from a house filled with smoke.
"They teach us all kinds of stuff," said Shanna King, a first time participant, age 10. "I can't wait to go save Steve," she said about the dummy.

Ms. King said the firefighters were teaching her some of the same things her teachers in school tell her and that she is starting to understand just how important fire safety and awareness are.

"One of the most important factors we teach them is home fire safety," said Glenn F. Haffner, 17th Civil Engineer Squadron, Goodfellow Fire Department Assistant Chief Prevention 1. "We try to teach them in the most simplistic way we can, and in the most safe way."

The firefighters also show the children what it is like to be a firefighter.

"We let them put on our gear with the helmets and try to carry short hoses and stuff like that," said Chief Haffner. "We want the children to get a hands-on feel of what it takes to do this job."

The Chief also said that one of the most significant activities the children do is when they get to use a fire extinguisher to put out an actual fire. He said the upmost safety precautions are taken to ensure the children are not in any danger and that they need this experience because most of them have never handled a fire extinguisher before.

"It's a small fire we create under controlled circumstances using propane gas," said the Chief.

The Chief emphasized the importance of teaching children proper fire safety, stating that most of the rules of fire safety are simple and just making sure they hear them often and are shown what to do, they will usually understand how to prevent fires and know what to do in the event that a fire does occur.

Due to space and personnel limitations the program can only accept 12 children from ages 10 to 12 each year.