OK guys,
In my first week as a Fire Safety Officer, I'm told that next week I will be required to teach kids from pre-school age to what we used to call Standard 2, about Fire Safety.
I've been reading the "Guidelines for School visits" document and things have changed a LOT since I last gave a school visit in Ashburton.
As far as this document goes, you are not allowed to wear Breathing Apparatus in front of the kids, it could scare them.
Children are also not allowed to hold hoses (generally a High Pressure Hose reel, set to a low pressure), it could get out of control on them.
It is forbidden for any Operational Fire-fighter, Officer or the like to place their own helmet on the head of a young person.
{This I can actually agree with, there was a youngster that had their neck broken after the helmet was too heavy}.
Ask Ray, our helmets are quite heavy.
But this last one really rubbed me up the wrong way.
It is forbidden that children be let into the cabs of Fire Appliances, these areas are for Qualified persons only.
C'mon, my first experience of a Fire Appliance was sitting in the old Temuka 861, which was an old CF Bedford at the time.
I was at Primary School, the Head-master was the 3rd Officer of the local Fire Brigade.
In a time when we are screaming out for new blood, and you get rules like this??.
One other thing about BA masks, and what have you, at a Fire Station would be the place to see a Fire-Fighter wearing them.
We want to impart the fact that we are there to help not scare children.
Children hide in the most in-accessible places in House Fires, we are trying to stop that.
Your thoughts?.
