SUNDERLAND — A group of about 10 parents and their children sat in a semi-circle around Fire Prevention Officer Meaghan Ahearn Friday in the Sunderland Public Library around 11 a.m., as she read aloud from “The Firefighters,” by Sue Whiting.
“It starts the kids young,” Ahearn said after the book reading, while leading the group to a parked fire engine outside. “This gives us a different audience, as far as kids who aren’t in the schools. It’s never too early to start.”
The event was held during Fire Prevention Week.
Earlier, Library Director Katherine Hand explained the fire prevention book-reading is part of the library’s weekly “storytime,” which is intended to introduce kids to unusual and interesting topics they might not encounter elsewhere.
“It’s not often we have a fire truck here, so this is exciting!”
Hand said the library is a good place to discuss fire prevention because it’s “kind of a heavy subject, in a fun, lighthearted setting.”
Outside at the fire engine, the children donned plastic fire helmets, opened up equipment doors and had a chance to see what kind of gear town firefighters use. Preschooler Kaden Clark, who was wearing a bright orange T-shirt and a black fire helmet, clambered up into the cab and imagined he was racing off to a fire.
“(It’s about) knowing who the real heroes are,” said Jayshree Krishnan, who brought her son, Divyesh, to the event. Krishnan said their family just moved to the area from California, where they lived for 11 years.
“We know how bad the danger is. Often, we would hear fire alarms blaring,” Krishnan continued, describing destruction caused by fire as “instantaneous.”
While the event was geared toward fun, Ahearn shared serious tips with the kids, including “always get out of the building when the smoke detector goes off,” and change the batteries and check the expiration date on smoke detectors.
To kick off Fire Prevention week, the town Fire Department held an open house this past Sunday. To end the week today, the department will be at Mike’s Maze, where the chief intends to sit in a dunk tank while wearing a cold-water rescue suit. Starting in November, Ahearn said she’ll start visiting local schools, where “every grade level will get a lesson.”
You can reach Andy Castillo
at: acastillo@recorder.com
or 413-772-0261, ext. 263
On Twitter: @AndyCCastillo