POLSON  —  Engine 311 was crawling with kids  Wednesday morning as firefighters  gave a Fire Safety Week demonstration to the students at the Little Friends Preschool.  Fire Safety Week is an annual event held by the Polson Fire Department to teach fire safety and awareness to the young people of Polson. 

This year’s fire safety theme was “two ways out of your home” and added some new lessons to the basic Fire Safety Week demonstrations. Aside from teaching students stop, drop and roll the Polson Fire Department also taught kids when and why to call 911, as well as basic life saving techniques such as throwing a toy outside a window if trapped inside so that rescue teams can locate you. The theme is very important for children to know, Veteran firefighter Lt. Kevin Straub of the Polson Fire Department explained, adding that if your primary escape route is blocked it is important to have a backup plan and to test that plan. 

Straub led the fire truck demonstration, and easily elicited “oohs” and “aahs” from the preschoolers,  starting off with the pike pole, an extending pole with a hook at the end. 

“It’s the size of all of us standing on top of each other!” five-year-old Kellyn Nelson proudly announced. The pole is most commonly used for pulling down ceilings. Straub also showed students an assortment of ladders including the electronic one on the top of the truck, which also was greatly appreciated by the tykes and prompted applause. 

Just as the firefighters were finishing up at Little Friends Preschool, four-year-old Lainey Johnson was still busy asking questions of firefighter Bruce Gerlock, but was mostly- just pleased to show-off her new (sticker) gold-firefighters badge,  

“ I liked the firefighters coming,”  Lainey said with a smile, “… but my favorite part was the badge.”