“Higher! Higher!” The first graders chanted. They sat in front of Katonah Fire Department’s ladder truck, looking up.
There, about 30 feet above them, firefighter Davide Palmerini was climbing the truck’s ginormous white ladder. He was already more than halfway towards the school’s roof.
Katonah Fire Department’s annual trip to the elementary school during Fire Prevention Week teaches important safety information to children. The visit also builds community pride, extends neighborly warmth and … is a lot of fun.
Kristen Couto’s first graders were the first class scheduled for the fire safety program this morning. Some students skipped out the school door, excited to get a closer look at the trucks parked in front of the school.
Captain Laurie DeRosa, parent of a KES fifth grader, drew students’ attention to one of the first warning signs of fire: smoke.
“Sometimes you can smell smoke, and sometimes you can see it. What’s another way you might know it’s there?” she asked the students. “Here’s a hint. It’s why you often line up and head out of school.”
“An alarm!” The students said. “The smoke alarm goes off!”
“If you hear a beep, get off your seat,” the first graders repeated after Captain DeRosa.
Lieutenant Mike Roper, who also has a child at KES, showed students some of the equipment on the truck. Firefighter Kris DeLaney put on the full fire fighter’s gear, so that the first time students saw a firefighter’s facemask and heard the raspy sounds of an oxygen mask would not be in an emergency situation.
Sergeant Scott Whalen stood by, enjoying being at the school that he and so many of his family had attended.
“We are thankful to our local fire department for their hard work and commitment to our school and the community,” said Principal Cristy Harris.