Starting early with fire safety

FOLLOWING on from a visit by CFA volunteers earlier this year, Heathcote Primary School students showcased fire safety projects last week.

CFA members attended as well as representatives from City of Greater Bendigo.

“It was wonderful to be invited back to the Heathcote Primary School to see the results of the children’s work regarding bushfire and home fire safety,” said community safety co-ordinator Evan Pritchard.

“The CFA believes that fire education and emergency planning is crucial for survival and what better place to begin than in the home with the kids.

“It was great to see many important topics covered from home preparedness and smoke alarms to escape routes and evacuation packs.

“Well done to all the teachers and children involved with the project and of course to Neil Munro from the CFA Education Unit for facilitating the program.”

Science, technology, engineering and maths teacher David Close said the students were thrilled to be able to showcase their efforts.

“They have all put a lot of work into a diverse range of fire safety related topics,” he said.

“We all appreciate how much the CFA helps the community and the students have gained a greater knowledge of fire safety and the work done by the CFA.”

Grade Six student Ellana said she enjoyed doing something new.

“It was good to do something different and it helped me to understand more about what we should do to be safe,” she said.

“One important thing is to clear gutters before the fire season.”

The varied projects included posters, video presentations and some students made fire safety board games.

Lola and Charlotte’s video presentation covered everything from mowing lawns, calling 000 and raking up leaves to ensuring there is a good water supply and working smoke alarms.

“It’s really good to know the CFA volunteers are there to help us,” said Charlotte.

City of Greater Bendigo Coordinator Emergency Management and Resilience, Frances Ford, said it is important for residents of all ages to be prepared for bushfire.

“We were thrilled to see the diverse and creative range of projects presented by the students,” Ms Forde said.

“This demonstrated their knowledge of bushfires and their local environment, and how they can best prepare for an emergency.”