“Did you get to run a red light?”
“Did you get to squirt the fire hose?”
“Did you get to eat candy in the fire truck?”
A crowd of American Martyrs Catholic School second-graders stare up at their classmate Jack Brearton, doling out crucial questions as he beams down at them from the front seat of the Manhattan Beach Fire Engine in which he just rode to school.
Jack firmly answers in the negative, with the authority of someone who knows exactly what he’s talking about.
“What’s it like being in the fire truck?” another student asks.
“Well…” Jack says. “There are headphones that you get to talk on.”
“Oooh,” the group rumbles.
“And boots in the seat,” he continues.
“Aaah.”
“And an axe,” he reveals the clincher.
“Wowww.”
Wild cheers erupt up at his last answer.
“It’s bumpy. But it’s awesome,” he concludes.
Today is Jack’s day. No doubt his celebrity will spread throughout the playground before the day’s end.
The time he put into drawing the home fire escape plan assigned to his class by MBFD Firefighter Brian Yount was well worth it.
For three years, Yount has visited every second-grade class in Manhattan Beach during National Fire Prevention Week — the first week of October — to discuss fire safety. He came up with the idea as a way to start thinking about fire safety at an age at which they are still likely to think it’s cool.
“We teach them to have a plan in place,” Yount said. “We teach them the importance of smoke detectors. If there’s smoke, stay low and crawl. Don’t worry about grabbing your favorite toy, just get out. Have a meeting place and stay there until your parents can account for you.”
Fires and burns are the third leading cause of fatal home injuries in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control. Roughly four out of 10 home fire deaths occur in houses without smoke alarms.
This year, Yount’s lesson was about their importance.
At the end of his visit, Yount challenges each student to design and draw the escape plan they and their families will use in case of a home fire, along with a designated meeting place.
The top picks from each school win a ride from home to school in a fire truck and the respect and admiration of their peers.
“We’re not looking for the professional looking design that was actually done by the parent,” Yount says. “The whole idea is for the kids to do it themselves. You could tell Jack worked really hard on it.”
Jack’s colorful, hand-drawn design details a route that winds through his tri-level Manhattan Beach home past bedrooms, bathrooms, a guest room and a wine room, and out to a very specific tree in the front yard.
He and his peers now understand the importance of having a plan and a meeting place in case of an emergency.
Jack’s teacher, Connie Mata, announced the winner and runners-up to her class shortly after Yount’s first visit. The class knew this past Monday would be Jack’s big day.
“The whole class was so excited about it when they found out,” Mata says. “They cheered so loud. It’s all they talked about.”
Jack’s name will be added to a plaque with the other winners. The plaque and his picture will be posted at the fire station for a year. He will also be publicly recognized at an upcoming city council meeting.
“This is what it’s about,” says Yount as the fire truck pulls away and the kids follow Jack to their classroom. “Giving kids role models to look up to. In what other kind of setting would two parents hand their kid over and say, ‘Drive away.’ It makes you proud to be a fireman.” ER
