Dawn Ostrem
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (Oct 11/00) - Getting to the root of fire safety education means starting with kids.

The Yellowknife Fire Department has an open-door policy when it comes to educating children.

What kids should know Fire starters like matches and lighters are tools and for adults only. Stop, drop and roll only when clothes are on fire. How their home-escape plan works. Cool a burn.

"We visit schools and day cares at the request of teachers or care providers," explained volunteer fire fighter Ann Kall. "And people are always welcome to phone and visit the fire hall and talk to someone one-on-one."

The fire department has one scheduled program called Risk Watch, in which fire safety is one of eight components.

The others are taught on an invitation basis and Call said teaching kids about fire safety is enjoyable.

"They're awesome and a lot of fun," she said. "They enjoy talking about safety issues, especially the younger ones who enjoy letting you know all that they know about it.

"Little kids like to share things that happen that quite often aren't related to fire safety; it could be related to their dog or cat," she laughed.

Above all, Kall said children are proud of what they know and once they have information look forward to making smart choices.

"I think kids talk about (fire safety) more than adults and are more conscious of it sometimes," she said, adding many times parents or adults innocently leave matches or lighters lying around.

"When kids find them, for the most part, they go and tell their parents right away."

And for those who don't, in extreme cases, the fire department also offers classes on juvenile fire setter intervention.

"For when parents are concerned about purposeful fire setting," Kall explained.