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'Fireman Tim says,' kids listen and firesafety impacts homes
"We've really seen an impact from Lt. Wright's coming to schools," said Washington Fire Chief Alan Poss. "Parents tell me now, when their smoke alarm goes off, the kids say, 'Fireman Tim says we need to get out, right now!' The kids know what to do now, and they teach it to their parents." In fact, Poss said, since Wright has been teaching firesafety, there has not been a single incident of a child starting a house fireby playing with matches. "That used to happen all the time," Poss said. "It's been years since it happened now." A father of two, Wright says he keeps the students' attention, getting down on the floor to talk with younger students on their level, and explains fire safety with simple, easy-to-remember phrases that kids learn to chant. "I teach them 'Go next door and call 911' and 'Don't hide, go outside,' and 'Crawl low, under the smoke,' and of course, 'Stop, drop, and roll.' We role-play and repeat things, and I teach them at whatever level they can understand it, and over the years, they learn it by heart." To be the firedepartment's Fire Prevention Officer, Wright took classes at the Georgia Fire Academy, learning to break down the firesafety message to different age groups, from preschoolers to adults. He also speaks to Career Day assemblies at Wilkes County schools. As important as it is, teaching firesafety isn't Wright's primary duty. A firefightersince 1985, he works a regular shift as driver and engineer. But every October, as students at Washington-Wilkes Primary School and Washington-Wilkes Elementary School observe the annual Fire Safety Week in the county, "Fireman Tim" suits up to speak to classes that total some 700 to 800 students a year. And, although it's hard to measure fires that didn't happen, the early education program has undoubtedly had an impact, Poss said.
"We have no doubt that what Tim Wright has taught these children has saved lives," Chief Poss said. "And these kids remember this message, and will for the rest of their lives."
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