Dozens of kids filled the Bayside Fire Department in Kodiak for a weeklong day camp to learn about firefighting and fire safety. Fighting live – but controlled – fires was a lot of fun for the kids, but also a way to develop homegrown firefighters for the future. Fire Chief Scott Ellis supervised a group of 17 kids, aged 6 to 12 on Wednesday morning, July 30. One by one each kid joined the chief in the hot zone to use a fire extinguisher on a real propane flame in a safe environment. 12-year-old Jax said he had never used a fire extinguisher before. “It’s crazy that powder puts out the fire and it’s cool to watch that because like, the powder just puts it out instantly,” he said.
Jax explains the four steps the campers learned using the acronym PASS. “The ‘p’ is for pull the pin. The ‘a’ is for aim. The first ‘s’ is for squeeze and the second ‘s’ is for sweep it,” he explained. Jax put out the fire in under five seconds and took an interest in all aspects of the firefighting training. He said he wants to continue more training in the future, much to Captain Shelby Bacus’ glee. Jax and the other campers also participated in a demonstration of how one of the tender trucks provides water for a bucket brigade, get familiar with the firefighting equipment on the fire engine trucks, as well as learn basic splinting and first aid. Bacus with the Bayside Fire Department put together this new kids’ fire camp.
