Two Brooklyn yeshivos, Yeshivas Rabbeinu Chaim Berlin and Lev Bais Yaakov, were recently paid a visit by the Fire Fellows, an interactive presentation on fire safety. The Fire Fellows presentations, given by the C.H.A.S.E. (Children’s Health and Safety Education) Program, were offered free of charge courtesy of the Firefighter Foundation. The Firefighter Foundation provided a special sponsorship to raise awareness about fire safety in the frum community.
“There is no other religion or group that has as many holidays that involve the use of fire as does the Jewish religion. There is a severe lack of preparedness in the Jewish community regarding how to prevent a fire or what to do in case there is a fire,” says Brooke McKay, vice president of the Firefighter Foundation.
In light of recent tragic events in our community, a few askonim approached the Firefighter Foundation to sponsor fire safety education classes designed for the frum community.
The classes, fourteen in all, were given to individual groups of 30 students in the two schools. The Fire Fellows program is given by an authentic firefighter who is trained in the laws and customs of the Jewish community. The firefighter gives the class together with a high-tech remote-controlled fire truck named Freddie. Freddie, complete with lights and sirens, interacts with the children – he even knows all their names.
The presentation included a custom video for the frum community that covered the dangers of fires on Shabbos and Yomim Tovim. The presentation consisted of a curriculum designed by master educators in conjunction with fire safety specialists from various fire departments. The curriculum was based on much research to ensure maximum student retention. The Fire Fellows presentation focused on the dangers of fire, fire prevention, and what to do if there is a fire. The children learned crucial information that can help prevent fires in their homes. They learned about the importance of functioning smoke detectors and fire extinguishers as well as avoiding dangerous objects and areas in their homes. The firefighter and Freddie the fire truck taught the children the necessary steps to take in the event of a fire.
“The feedback we got from the schools was overwhelmingly positive,” says Joseph Baumann, director of the C.H.A.S.E. program. “However, because we give the class to no more than 30 children at a time, the costs of creating such a program are astronomical. It is only because of the Firefighter Foundation’s generosity that this was made possible.”
The classes are available to schools in the New York Metropolitan area. For more information or to arrange a class in your school, call 1.800.592.9078 or email [email protected].
{Noam Amdurski-Matzav.com Newscenter}
Amazing, hatzlocha!