Preschoolers and Kindergarteners at the SYLS camp had the chance to take control – of the fire hose, that is – when the Livingston Fire Department visited their camp recently.  Assistant Fire Chief Kevin Francione and two members of his crew brought a pumper truck (“the busiest truck in Livingston”) to the Monmouth Court camp site to talk about fire safety.

The kids were riveted as Assistant Chief Francione showed some of the equipment carried on the fire trucks, from ordinary soap to picks, axes, and a special $10,000 camera which allows firefighters to see through walls to spot fires. 

He told the campers three cardinal rules they should follow: 

1)  if the fire alarm goes off, they must be quiet so they can hear the instructions coming from their parents. 

2)  they should never put their hands over their ears to block out the sound of the alarm because they may not be able to hear the instructions of someone who can help including fire fighters 

3) kids should never leave toys and clothes lying on the floor.  If a kid trip on a toy, they’ll get hurt and it will be harder to escape from the fire.  Also, since fire fighters crawl on the floor when there is a fire, if he or she gets hurt, it will take longer for them to help anyone who’s in the fire. 

There were exclamations of “wow” and “cool” as each child delighted in the opportunity to hold a squirting fire hose while firefighter Matt Mores assisted in helping the kids maintain control of the equipment. 

Assistant Chief Francione smiled, watching the kids, and said, “This is the best part of my job!”