Firefighters pay special visit to their biggest fans

RAVENA — For a little kid, there’s nothing better than sitting behind the wheel of a real fire truck.

Thanks to firefighters from the Ravena Fire Department, little ones had the chance to do just that during a special visit to the “Storytimes” reading group at the RCS Community Library last Friday.

Members of the department were on hand reading to the children, demonstrating gear a firefighter has to don at a fire scene, and then taking everyone outside for a visit to a pair of the department’s trucks. Kids who wanted to were able to sit behind the steering wheel.

“This is in tune with National Fire Prevention Week, which is Oct. 7-13,” said Deputy Fire Chief Travis Witbeck. “This is one way of getting out into the community and getting out information about fire prevention and safety. Some fire departments hold open houses this week, but we wanted to bring our department out to the community.”

Fire Prevention Week is a national event designed to conduct outreach and provide information, spreading the word about fire prevention and staying safe.

This year’s theme was “Look. Listen. Learn. Be aware — Fire Can Happen Anywhere,” according to the Fire Prevention Week website.

“People take safety for granted and are not aware of the risk of fire,” said Lorraine Carli, the organization’s vice president of outreach and advocacy. “Paying attention to your surroundings, looking for available exits in the event of a fire or other emergency, and taking the smoke alarm seriously if it sounds can make a potentially life-saving difference in a fire or other emergency situation.”

At the RCS Community Library, firefighters focused their efforts on being approachable to the community’s youngest residents. Firefighter Sandy DeBacco read a firefighter-themed story to the kids, and everyone was given a plastic firefighter helmet — bright red, of course. Kathy Meyer, the library’s assistant for early childhood services, who runs the “Storytimes” program at the library, also read a firefighter tale to the kids.

Then Lt. Erik Wullum, of the Ravena Fire Department, donned firefighter gear, showing the kids all the steps firefighters need to take to gear up before heading to a fire. At the end, he put on the helmet and breathing apparatus firefighters wear, and demonstrated what they sound like when turned on.

The reason for that is because the oxygen gear can sound scary to a young child — it has been likened to sounding like Darth Vader of “Star Wars” fame — and they want the kids to know what to expect if they are ever in a fire and need a firefighter’s help.

“When we put on our gear, we are scary to little children, so I want them to see what we look like and sound like so if they ever need help in a fire, they won’t be scared,” Wullum said. “We can look scary, but we don’t want them to be afraid. It’s better that they have exposure to this now, before there is an emergency.”

DeBacco said reading a story to the kids brought back fond memories of when he read to his own children. And, he said, it served a dual purpose beyond just a great children’s story.

“The kids should try to remember the importance of firefighters and fire safety, and to never be afraid of firefighters — we are here to help them,” DeBacco said. “We are friends to the kids and they should also always come to us if they ever need help.”

Roughly 25 children turned out for the event. Meyer said Friday’s visit was the culmination of a week of activities at the library geared to fire prevention and safety.

“The goal was for the children to see firefighters in their full dress so if, heaven forbid, there is ever an incident, they won’t be afraid of the firefighters and know they are there to help them,” Meyer said. “Also, events like this build a sense of community, and the library wants to do that.”

For families, the event made for an exciting morning.

“This was awesome,” said mom Sacha Collins. “The kids loved it — especially the fire trucks.”

Jan Wilsey brought her 2-year-old granddaughter, Hannah Feuerbach.

“It was a great program,” Wilsey said. “My granddaughter’s favorite part was the fire trucks. We come to ‘Storytimes’ often. The library is a great resource for the community. And after programs like this, the kids stick around at the library and it gets them reading.”