Best practice!

Stop, drop and roll when clothing catches fire.

Fall and crawl through smoke to escape a fire.

Do not play with fire.

These were some of the tips members of the Barbados Fire Service Fire Prevention Unit shared with the students of St Ambrose Primary School this morning, where the 2019 edition of the Student Awareness and Fire Education (SAFE) programme was launched.

Fire Officer from the Unit, Jason Collins, told members of the media that the programme which started in September 2007 was designed to educate primary and nursery school students about fire safety through teaching them the dos and don’ts of fire safety and prevention and how to react in the case of a fire emergency.

“We want them to know what they should do if they encounter a fire whether they be at home, whether they be at school, wherever they might be. I like to always start with the kids because I believe that children do remember things a lot better than adults. In a situation where there is an emergency, adults may tend to panic, but children will remember the right thing to do,” Collins said.

In addition to learning about fire trucks and their characteristics, the excited group of students got the opportunity to watch a video presentation, which informed them about not playing with matches and lighters, and the steps to take if their house caught on fire.

“The video also showed them what a smoke alarm looks like, and the sound that the smoke alarm makes. What a firefighter looks like when he is in his full turnout gear, including facemask and everything. Some children see fire officers in this light, but when they see them in a fire situation they are scared because of the bulky clothing and the facemask and they can’t see who they are. So that video did all of that for them,” Collins said.

The Unit will also be taking the programme to several other schools across the country as the year progresses. (AH)