LUSK – The WyoBraska homeschool group got together for a picnic lunch and safety day in Lusk last week on April 29. The group met up for lunch and some play time at the Niobrara fair grounds and then were given a tour of the fire department and Sheriff’s department.
Fire Chief Chantry Filener, firefighter Ryan Meng and Mike Mayville gave the students a tour through the fire shop including several of the trucks that are used. They saw all of the equipment contained in the trucks and were also given the chance to use some of the water suppression hoses to put out a fire from a training flame.
Meng and Filener showed the students their turnout gear and talked about what it is like to train and use the equipment that is issued. They discussed the requirements for being a firefighter. The volunteers then created a mock fire situation in the kitchen/break area of the fire station to give kids an example of what it is like to walk through a room with smoke so that they would understand why they are told to get low to the floor and crawl in the event of a fire. The department discussed fire safety and how to create an exit plan with your family to ensure that in the case of a house fire all children know where to go and how to get there. Fire safety awareness bags were given out to all the kids which included pamphlets on creating emergency plans for families and fire safety awareness.
After touring the fire station students went to the Sheriff’s department where they were given the opportunity to look through the Sheriff’s vehicles and talk with deputies Ashley Clark and Kelly Dean. Students asked about law enforcement and emergency responses that the Sheriff is part of. They learned that law enforcement are there to help keep the community safe and that you an always ask Sheriff’s deputies or police for help if you need it.
Students enjoyed their afternoon and loved getting to meet local first responders. The group appreciated the time that responders took out of their day to educate students.