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***image1***Raising children to be fire-safety conscious adults is why the U.S. Army Garrison Kaiserslautern’s Fire Department performs its “Sesame Street” puppet theater with Bert and Ernie at the garrison’s three Child Development Centers.
“My strong belief is that if we raise children with fire safety in their heads, it’s easier for us in the future,” said Jürgen Stegner, the garrison’s fire chief.
Bert and Ernie visits the CDCs on Kleber Kaserne, Miesau Army Deport and Landstuhl Regional Medical Center every year in observance of National Fire Prevention Week, which this year was Oct. 5 to 11. The garrison’s fire department has performed this skit at the child care facilities for 22 years.
“I know they are young, but the little scenarios in the puppet show will entice the children to talk to their parents about what they saw,” said Paul Ward, the Landstuhl CDC director, Oct. 7 – the day the puppet show was performed at his center.
Preschoolers at the Kleber Child Care Center saw the show Oct. 6, and those at Miesau also saw the show on Oct. 7.
Chief Stegner has had parents approach him after their children have seen the puppet show.
“Parents tell me all the time, ‘My child approached me about the smoke detector or giving matches to grownups.’ This is sometimes from a 3- or 4-year-old. It’s almost unbelievable,” he said.
Children, ages 3 to 5 years old, learn the importance of fire detectors in the first skit, “Metal Cookie,” what to do when they find matches or lighters in “The Match” and not to be afraid of firefighters in “The Monster.”
Matthew Scott, 5, liked “The Monster” skit the best.
That was when one of the garrison’s firefighters came into the room in full turnout gear. He removed his frightening attire – gloves, helmet, breathing apparatus, oxygen tank and jacket to show the children – as Chief Stegner said, “That he’s a human being and not a monster.”
One of the reasons Matthew liked this skit was that he got to try on some of the firefighter’s gear like the helmet and coat.
“I liked the firefighter’s clothes. It wasn’t heavy,” he said, responding to Chief Stegner’s constant comments that the gear “weighs a lot.”
Sierra Otto-Roddan, 4, also got to try on the firefighter’s gear, but “The Match” was her favorite skit.
“I liked when they called a grownup to put it (the match) in a special place,” she said.
Her room leader, Gertrud Medina, was the grownup Ernie called over to take the match. Ms. Medina said this skit was an excellent way to teach children what to do when they find something dangerous.
“Why have adults talk about how many gallons of water per minute on a fire truck when you can have Bert and Ernie bring the (fire safety) message to them,” Chief Stegner said.
Fire Prevention Week commemorates the Great Chicago Fire on Oct. 8 and 9, 1871, which killed more than 250 people, left 100,000 homeless, destroyed more than 17,400 structures and burned more than 2,000 acres.
In 1920, President Woodrow Wilson issued the first National Fire Prevention Day proclamation, and since 1922, Fire Prevention Week has been observed on the Sunday through Saturday period in which Oct. 9 falls.
