A lucky Gr. 1 student at Maple Leaf School in Morden had the honour of being fire chief for a day Monday as part of an annual fire safety initiative.
Oakley Carson earned the opportunity as a result of submitting her fire escape plan for the contest, and it brought a fire truck out to Maple Leaf School in the afternoon for a demonstration that included shooting at a target with the fire hose.
She then had the chance to tour the fire hall before enjoying supper at Boston Pizza, which is the sponsor of the event.
“I liked riding in the fire truck … I liked being fire chief for a day,” said Carson. “They came to my school, and I got to sit in the fire truck. We got to go in the fire truck … that was fun.”
Jonathan Baumgart, a captain with Morden Fire and Rescue, said they’ve enjoyed doing this each year ever since they revived the idea about seven years ago.
“Part of the initiative is to get kids to do the fire escape plans at home. It’s something that we have found as a department is lacking in homes in the community … fire escape plans are something that go to the wayside,” he said.
“With Gr. 1 students and that age group, they’re sponges for information,” he suggested. “They can be the advocate that kind of brings that fire message safety back home.
“This is one of my favorite activities of the year,” Baumgart added. “It’s getting young kids involved, and this program is a way to bring home that awareness about fire escape plans.
“It’s a lot of fun going out to the schools. It’s a lot of fun when the kids can tell you about their fire escape plan … when they’ve been practicing at home and gone through it with their families at home,” said Baumgart. “They get excited about this kind of thing, and it draws the rest of the family in and gets them into it too.
“It’s a good initiative … and I think we see the dividends on the other end.”
