Fire Department to Celebrate Sixth Graders Home Escape Plans

For 15 years Swampscott firefighters have schooled youngsters on fire safety and escape plans at home.

This year about 180 sixth graders at the middle school created escape plans, designating safe meeting places for their families, said Swampscott fire Capt. Remo Zimbaldi and Lt. Sheila Scranton.

Today one representative from each homeroom, eight students in all, will join the Swampscott firefighters at UNOS restaurant.

The sixth graders were selected for their winning entries in the Student Awareness of Fire Education program.

The sixth grade SAFE winners are Bianca Doman, Max Emmerich, Jack Herlihy, Kasey Kennedy, Jacob Nazarenko, Veronica Rizzo, Lauren Russo and Mason Sagan.

The students will be recognized for their work with a free meal and a certificate.

The firefighters visited all the sixth graders at the school twice for an hour.

The key to escaping a home fire is to have escape routes mapped out and to get out of the house.

Rather than spending time looking for each other or for pets, the occupants need to get out on their own and meet family outside at a designated spot such as a tree or a neighbor’s house.

The firefighters recommend that families practice their escape plan twice a year.

As part of the fire safety training the firefighters show the kids a film called Countdown to Disaster.

In the film, a lit cigarette ignites a fire in a room.

It only takes two minutes from the time flames appear in the room to the time the entire room is engulfed in fire, the firefighters said.

“No matter how small the fire, get out,” Lt. Scranton said.

Both firefighters said they take pleasure in teaching the kids about fire safety and escape plans.

“I love it,” Capt. Zimbaldi said. “The kids get something out of it. It’s a great tool for us to give to them.”