Firefighters present annual Kids Fire Safety Day Event | PHOTOS

ALBANY — Second graders in Dougherty County got a special treat on Wednesday — a fun-filled hour of good conquering evil, as well as fire safety messages that could save their lives and those of their families.

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The Albany Fire Department’s 21st annual Kids Fire Safety Day Event at the Albany Civic Center pitted the Fire Starter Gang, LighterBoy, Scorch, Smoke, MatchBoy and Flame against members of the Fire Prevention Justice League, Smoke Detector, Extinguisher Girl, WaterBoy, Super Chief and Bailiff.

Of course the bad buys were defeated, but only through the good sense use of safety and careful fire prevention.

The theme of this year’s safety show was “Hear the Beep Where You Sleep,” a message to the children that working smoke detectors should be installed in every bedroom. According to Albany Assistant Fire Chief Sebon Burns, the yearly themes are chosen by the National Fire Prevention Association (NFPA), which also provides related take-home literature for attendees.

According to Burns, the proper use of smoke alarms is such an important element in fire safety, it should always be a major part of any fire education program. Other life-saving messages include “never play with matches or lighters,” “stop, drop and roll,” if you happen to catch on fire, and “crawl beneath beneath the smoke,” when leaving a burning building.

But smoke detectors can’t save lives if their maintenance is neglected, as Georgia Fire Commission Dwayne Garriss told children at the Safety Day Event.

“This smoke detector can save your lives,” Garriss said, as he raised the detector above his head. “But when they’re more than 10 years old, they should be replaced. When you go home, tell your moms and dads to buy a new one if they need to.”

According to Garriss, detector models are better than in years past, but the sensitivity and dependability of the units will always diminish with age. Firefighters say that all smoke detectors should be tested once each month and batteries replaced twice each year.

In addition to the evil plots by Fire Starter Gang members, and corresponding counter efforts by the Fire Prevention Justice League, kids were treated to interactive question and answer sessions by a firefighter in full action gear, who posed questions to a fire show clown. When given the incorrect answer, visitors were encouraged to shout out “wrong way” in response.

“So how do you check your smoke detector to be sure it’s working right?” the firefighter asked.

“Well, I know it’s in the same place I left it, and it looks okay to me,” the clown answered, which earned a resounding “Wrong Way” from the crowd.

Later on, a clown was seen dragging a box into the center of the area. When asked, she told another clown there was a “life saver” inside, and proceeded to take a huge “smoke detector” from the box, which allowed kid-friendly conversation about the care and testing of the units.

While it’s important to educate young children on the importance of fire safety, Burns said that parents are primary targets of the information.

“You have parents who are maybe 30 or 35 years old who have never seen a fire safety show,” Burns said. “The only information they typically receive is from the news. They go to work and then come home and cook. But now their kids come back from our show and deliver the message and the materials we send with them.”

Albany fire officials say around 3,400 children attended the Wednesday show — topping last year’s mark by around 200 students.

Burns said the Albany Kids Fire Safety Day Event is now the largest of its kind in Georgia and the second largest in the country.

“It’s a really big deal,” Burns said.