VIDEO: Firefighters want to emphasize fire safety at a young age.
The Independence Fire Department is introducing a new fire prevention video designed to inform the youngest students about safety in the home. The animated product is brand new, and will be shared with area schools soon. Firefighters in Independence have seen a challenging year, battling four deadly fires this year. Two of those fires happened on one weekend. Two of the incidents involved the death of children.
The animated video is aimed at audiences as young as preschoolers. It’s designed to teach the basics of fire prevention, including escape plans to avoid smoke and fire and the importance of working smoke detectors. “This knowledge will empower a child to not be afraid if a smoke detector goes off in the house that’s full of smoke. They will have seen this video, hopefully, and instead of trying to hide from it, they will try to escape from it,” Independence Battalion Chief Eric Michel said.