By Karen Martin
Lifestyles editor
lifestyles@elkintribune.com


The students of Mountain Park Elementary School were laughing and cheering -- as were their parents and other school personnel -- on Thursday as the fire hose was turned on their principal, David Welch.

As a part of Fire Prevention week, Oct. 5 - 11, the Mountain Park Volunteer Fire Department, held a coloring contest with the 160 students of Mountain Park Elementary, the prize being the opportunity to personally turn a fire hose on their principal. Come Thursday, the winners, one picked from each class, (a list which appeared in Wednesday's Elkin Tribune), waited until the magic hour of 1:30 p.m. to douse the principal.

Prior to that eventful moment, however, fire department officials spent the morning with the students in the classrooms. Together, they went over the importance of fire safety. Students were also taught what to do if they found themselves faced with a fire. Firefighters demonstrated how to try to leave an area where smoke had gathered, by crawling along the floor. Students were also taught that the most important thing they could do would be dial 9-1-1, and to know their phone number and address.

The students were next taken outside, class by class, and taught about the fire equipment firefighters wore while fighting fires.

Volunteer firefighter Justin Simmons -- in full gear -- showed students the oxygen mask and helmet that each fireman is required ti wear when entering a structure that is on fire,

Another piece of equipment -- one of the latest in technology -- a new thermal imaging camera, was demonstrated by volunteer firefighter Jeff Kinton.

"The camera lets us see if there is anyone in a burning building by picking up the heat from their bodies and displaying it on the screen of the camera," Kinton said. "This will allow us to find people that may have become trapped in the house or building when the fire started."

Captain Mark Wood patiently showed off the departments fire engines, car and brush truck to the children, explaining the differences in the hoses, nozzles and other equipment and gear that fascinated the smaller children.

"The kids really loved the steel chainsaw helmet," Simmons said. "The lights on the brush truck were a real hit too."

Structural fires were not the only type of fires fought. So, too, are brush fires.

This year, said Kinton, the Mountain Park Fire department had been real lucky this year when it came to brush fires.

"Even with the drought, we've had very few instances of brush fires to deal with this year," Kinton said. "Although, now that the leaves are turning and falling to the ground, the potential for a big fire is there."

Kinton also pointed out a misperception people often have, which is a tendency to blame hunters around this time of year for forest fires. However, he said, it is usually -- if not almost always -- from a lightning strike.

Should a fire strike in the woods, the Mountain Park VFD has two all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) they use on fires to carry in manpower, supplies and food to the firefighters on the scene. When the fire is forceful and out of control, the forestry department can and will send in bulldozers to cut roads in towards the fire for better access by the firefighters.

"Every few years there's a 'big one'," Kinton said. "We've just been very lucky the past few years, but we are prepared always to get that call. We have to be on alert to save peoples homes and sometimes their lives."