For the past three years Centre Wellington Fire Rescue (CWFR) has partnered with Crime Stoppers to host Fire Chief for a Day.
The annual event prompts local students in grades 4, 5 and 6 to develop a fire escape plan for their own home which is part of a grand campaign to educate youth about fire prevention tactics.
Salem Public fourth-grader, Bryan Ellis, was selected as this year’s contest winner.
Fire prevention officer Chris Paluch said the CWFR was very impressed by the effort put in by 9-year-old Ellis who created an elaborate plan with a clear legend and colour-coded elements.
Paluch said CWFR had a record number of contest entries this year.
Ellis got an elaborate tour of the Fergus and Elora stations including some on-site training.
He said he got to see and learn about various aspects of training and got some behind-the-scenes access to the station in Fergus.
Ellis was picked up from his school by emergency services with the full light show which impressed his friends.
After a burrito lunch Ellis and his fire crew were tearing into a car, learning about what to do in an emergency roadside situation.
Ellis was quite impressed by the lifting bags, which use pressurized air to lift up to 35 tonnes, Wellington County training officer Charles Hamilton said the lifting bags are able to get their pumpers right-side-up.
Next up was how to properly use a fire extinguisher:
CWFR uses a basin filled with water, containing a propane ignition system to simulate a fire; part of the lesson included information on how different kinds of fire extinguishers are utilized for different kinds of fires.
Following the fire extinguisher lesson Ellis and the crew rolled out Pumper 41 to test out a fire hose.
His mom, Gillian, was also on the scene, she took part in some of the activities for a full family learning experience.
Before heading off for a final ride around Fergus, Ellis was adorned in the oxygen gear firefighters use any time there is an immediate threat to their health.
Hamilton called the oxygen tank and breathing apparatus their “life in a bottle”; it weighs only around 10 pounds less than Ellis.
Paluch said it was an amazing day filled with lots of learning.
Himself and the rest of the crew at CWFR are happy to see today’s youth care so much about fire safety because Paluch said CWFR has been given less opportunities over the years to host school presentations.
He said emergency response is ideally a final resort; preventing fires in the first place is the best way to mitigate a hazardous scenario.
