4-H Partners with Monroe Fire Department on Safety Instructions

Some Walton County 4H members gathered at the Ag. Center in Monroe on June 18 for a lesson on fire safety by a fellow 4-H member. Trevor Queen, 13, a student a Youth Middle School, chose fire safety for a presentation that he hopes to present to a larger audience at the district level. In order to highlight just how essential fire safety is, Queen solicited the help of Monroe Fire Department.

“This young man is doing the presentation for 4-H in Walton County and we want to help him do this,” said Capt. Jack Armstrong with MFD.

MFD provided the equipment to show the dangers of kitchen fires, more specifically how not to put them out using water, as the video clip demonstrates. The MFD has a stove fire simulator that it uses to demonstrate to people in the community the dangers of kitchen fires. 

Some of the advice Queen and the fire department shared was to let the young 4-H members know the importance of letting an adult know when another child is witnessed playing with fire or known fire igniters. Juvenile firesetting is now the fastest growing fire threat in the country. According to Armstrong, more than 300 people are killed and millions of dollars of property damage incurred annually as a result of fires set by children, including the children themselves. The City of Monroe Fire Department actively participates in the Juvenile Firesetter Program. 

Queen also had some suggestions for parents of young children, specifically on how a child is introduced to the excitement of fire by the parents themselves, at that first birthday party.

“You know how parents go, ‘Oh, it’s their first birthday party – get close to the candle – you’ve got to blow it out.’ That is teaching them that fire is there,” he said, adding the correct way to do it is to light the candle away from the child, not right in front of them, and then to bring the cake with the candle already lit.

Presentations, such as this, are part of the curriculum offered by 4-H. According to the Walton County 4-H website, the mission of Georgia’s 4-H is to assist youth in acquiring knowledge, developing life skills and forming attitudes that will enable them to become self-directing, productive and contributing members of society.

Anyone interested in learning more about Walton County 4-H can do by clicking on the website, which also has an application form. More information about the Juvenile Firesetter Program can be found on the MFD website. Anyone wishing to have a fire simulator demonstration by the MFD can do so by contacting the department at 770-267-4446.