We are a small combination department with no full time fire prevention/public education position.  Both career and reserver firefighters are involved in most of the public education programs listed below. 

Pre-school 

• LNTB (Learn Not To Burn) is an ongoing program taught in all preschools in the City.  This program is supported by engine company visits to reinforce specific lessons the teachers are working on.

Kindergarten

• “Risk Watch” is a new and ongoing program that is available to every kindergarten through eighth grade classroom in the city.  Outside guest speakers are used to reinforce lessons the teachers are working on.
• Each year, every kindergarten age child in the city takes a tour of the fire department during fire prevention week.  The kids are taught stop, drop, and roll, what to do if they find matches or a lighter, and are shown what firefighters look and sound like in full SCBA.  We send home safety information for parents with the children. 

1st grade

• “Risk Watch” is taught in both our public schools and the Catholic School with outside speakers to reinforce lessons.  (Ongoing)
•  LNTB is available for teachers’ use.  (Ongoing)
• “Team Teaching” is an annual match/lighter safety program that uses Smokey the Bear and Sparky the Fire Dog to reinforce match/lighter safety lessons.

2nd grade

• “Risk Watch”  (Ongoing)
• LNTB  (Ongoing)

3rd grade

• “Risk Watch”  (Ongoing)
• LNTB  (Ongoing)
• Smoke Detector Program. Each 3rd grader gets their own detector after learning the importance of having and maintaining detectors, and, signing an agreement to have the detector installed and maintained in their home.  200 detectors are purchased “at cost” with money donated by local businesses.  (Annually)

4th grade

• “Risk Watch”  (Ongoing)
• LNTB  (Ongoing)
• Battery Program. Each 4th grader gets a new 9v battery after learning the importance of maintaining/testing the detectors.  Batteries are purchased with money donated by local businesses. (Annually)
• Radio PSA program. Teachers choose a student who has worked hard on reading skills to ride the fire engine to the recording studio to record a :30 second radio PSA.   (Bi-monthly)

5th grade

• “Risk Watch”  (Ongoing)
• Radio PSA program
• Same as 4th grade radio PSA. (Bi-monthly)

6th grade

• “Plan To Get Out Alive” program is a classroom video presentation with home fire safety lessons  with emphasis on smoke detectors and EDITH.  (Annually)

K-6th

• Mary Bridge Children’s Hospital Bicycle Helmet Program. A bicycle helmet is given free to all 4th graders (200 kids).  This program includes fitting each helmet, and, a safety program about when we need to wear helmets (skateboarding, roller blading, bicycling, etc.) There is a $5 charge for all other grades.  (Annually)

High School

• We teach defensive driving techniques and Juniors motor vehicle safety to kids just before they get their drivers licenses.  We use the “Trauma Nurses Talk Tough” program.  (Quarterly)
• We put on a “mock crash” for the entire student body every three or four years.

Senior Citizens

• Give safety info to Assured Staff nurses for home delivery to hundreds of senior citizens and disabled citizens.  (Monthly)
• Give safety info to DSHS personnel who make home visits for delivery to hundreds of senior Citizens.  (Monthly)

Apartments 

• Hand out apartment safety info door to door and have residents check their smoke detectors. (Annually, to bi-annually)

Hispanics

• We target high risk Hispanic homes and apartments and hand out safety info printed in Spanish to them.    (Annually)

Community

• Fire Prevention Week includes a county-wide poster contest for kindergarten through 6th graders.  Poster themes can be any fire safety related topic, as well as the Fire Prevention theme.  The best posters from each grade get displayed in the Lewis County Mall. Local businesses give $100 gift certificates for grand prizes. The county Fire Chiefs organization buys $25 saving bonds for other prizes.  We get good media coverage of this event.
• We encourage our engine companies to check peoples’ smoke detectors on all emergency responses where appropriate.  (Dozens of “calls” per year).
• “The Daily Chronicle” gives us 2 “house ads” each month on the safety subject of our choice which they help design.
• We do school assemblies/classroom visits as requested which gives us more opportunity to get safety messages to youngsters.
• We put on fire extinguisher classes for businesses and various groups which gives us the opportunity to teach both business and home safety to adults.
• CPR Classes are taught every 60 days or as requested.
• We assist the high school “SAFETYE” club to put on a “Mock” crash every three or four years.  We involve law enforcement, dispatch, fire/rescue, private ambulance, and Airlift NW Helicopter.  1000+ students observe the “mock” crash.
• We give classes in defensive driving/appropriate actions to take at an accident scene for both Senior Citizens (monthly) and high school students (quarterly).
• We have school kids make safety message recordings that play continuously when people call the fire station and are put on “hold”.
• We completed a “door-to-door” smoke detector giveaway program to almost every home and apartment in the city limits in 1993.
•  Our “fire and life safety” inspections include teaching people safety in the work place.  (Ongoing).
•  We carry smoke detectors in our engines and aid car to install in citizens’ homes as needed.  (Ongoing).
• Our 1937 American LaFrance Pumper is decorated as the “Santa Mobile” for the Christmas Parade.  We hand out over 1000 “Holiday Safety” flyers and donated candy canes during the parade.   We also do a “Slow Cruise” through neighborhoods with “Santa” talking to kids and firefighter’s handing out safety material to parents, candy canes to kids, and collecting food for local food banks.
• We participate in the summer “DARE Camp” each year and give safety lessons to teenage kids re: babysitting, fire, and motor vehicle safety.  We also include additional information as requested by the police instructors including a live water flow demonstration.  We include some career information.  

Contact Assistant Chief/Fire Marshal Larry Allen for additional information.