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BES students learn, take home fire-safety practices

U.S. Air Force Airman 1st Class Ty Hults, a 52nd Civil Engineer Squadron firefighter, lets Bitburg Elementary School students climb inside a fire truck during a visit to BES on Bitburg Annex, Germany, Oct. 8, 2015. U.S. Air Force Col. Joe McFall, 52nd Fighter Wing commander, proclaimed Oct. 4-10 as Fire Prevention Week which included school visits and fire-safety demonstrations in front of the Exchange by the Spangdahlem Fire Department. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Luke J. Kitterman/Released)

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BES students learn, take home fire-safety practices

U.S. Air Force Airman 1st Class Ty Hults, a 52nd Civil Engineer Squadron firefighter, shows Bitburg Elementary School students firefighter equipment while visiting BES on Bitburg Annex, Germany, Oct. 8, 2015. U.S. Air Force Col. Joe McFall, 52nd Fighter Wing commander, proclaimed Oct. 4-10 as Fire Prevention Week which included school visits and fire-safety demonstrations in front of the Exchange by the Spangdahlem Fire Department. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Luke J. Kitterman/Released)

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BES students learn, take home fire-safety practices

U.S. Air Force Airman 1st Class Ty Hults, a 52nd Civil Engineer Squadron firefighter, shows Bitburg Elementary School students firefighter equipment while visiting BES on Bitburg Annex, Germany, Oct. 8, 2015. The additional gear a firefighter wears weighs approximately 75 pounds. The firefighters demonstrated the importance of fire-safety to the students in observance of Fire Prevention Week. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Luke J. Kitterman/Released)

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BES students learn, take home fire-safety practices

Sparky, the 52nd Civil Engineer Squadron firefighters’ mascot, hugs a child during a visit from the CES firefighters at Bitburg Elementary School on Bitburg Annex, Germany, Oct. 8, 2015. The firefighters demonstrated the importance of fire-safety to the students in observance of Fire Prevention Week. “Hear the beep where you sleep, every bedroom needs a working smoke alarm” is this year’s theme for Fire Prevention Week. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Luke J. Kitterman/Released)

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BES students learn, take home fire-safety practices

Spangdahlem Fire Department gear rests on a table during a visit from the SFD at Bitburg Elementary School on Bitburg Annex, Germany, Oct. 8, 2015. Students took home coloring books that contained fire-safety information to share with their parents. U.S. Air Force Col. Joe McFall, 52nd Fighter Wing commander, proclaimed Oct. 4-10 as Fire Prevention Week which included school visits and fire-safety demonstrations in front of the Exchange by the Spangdahlem Fire Department. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Luke J. Kitterman/Released)

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BES students learn, take home fire-safety practices

Ingo Alf, a 52nd Civil Engineer Squadron fire inspector, helps Bitburg Elementary School students down a ladder while practicing exiting a building during a visit from the Spangdahlem Fire Department at BES on Bitburg Annex, Germany, Oct. 8, 2015. The pretend house fire taught the students to check if doors are warm with the back of their hands and to call for help once you are out of the house. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Luke J. Kitterman/Released)

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SFD inspires youth during Fire Prevention Week

Published Oct. 13, 2015
By Airman 1st Class Luke Kitterman
52nd Fighter Wing Public Affairs

SPANGDAHLEM AIR BASE, Germany -- Bitburg Elementary School students practiced fire safety with members of the 52nd Civil Engineer Squadron at BES on Bitburg Annex, Germany, Oct. 6-8, 2015.

More than 500 students, ranging from pre-kindergarten to sixth grade, participated in the three-day demonstration by 52nd CES firefighters and fire-safety representatives. Reaching out to the students was part of the CES's goal during Fire Prevention Week.

"It is important to teach them at a young age," said U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Alan Justice, 52nd CES assistant chief of fire prevention. "We want to instill good fire-safety practices they will use for years to come."

Demonstrations included familiarizing the students with the equipment a fire fighter wears, seeing the inside of a fire truck and practicing exiting a building in the event of a fire.

"The kids got a chance to go inside our smoke house," Justice said. "It simulates smoke entering a room and then we let them evacuate. We try to teach them the importance of having an escape plan and remaining calm during the process."

By informing the students of the importance of fire safety, the Spangdahlem fire department hopes they will take the information they learned and be encouraged to get their families thinking about it.

"A lot of people take fire safety for granted," Justice said. "They think it will never happen to them. This week is to show the community that unfortunate things can happen but if you are prepared for them, you can mitigate the negative results and sometimes even avoid them all together."