No, the building wasn’t on fire, but, on Thursday, October 18, 2018, the volunteers from the Reinbeck Fire Department showed up at G-R Elementary. Yes, it was time for the annual celebration of Fire Prevention Week! We loved Fire Prevention Week! One of the things we enjoy each year is when the Firemen show old and new equipment. We saw the air tanks and the special masks that let the firemen breathe when they’re walking through the smoke. This year they had a new heat-sensitive device for finding people when they’re trapped in fires. They have special equipment for communicating with each. Communication and teamwork are important skills firefighters have for fighting fires. A bonus during this part of the assembly was that Mrs. Love presented the fire department with a check for $303.66 from the collection at the summer Bible school. We Loved Fire Prevention Week because the Firemen talked about Fire Safety. They let us hear the noise the smoke alarms make and told us to change the batteries in our smoke alarms every year. Of course, it goes without saying that we should not play with matches or lighters. They also told us how exit ladders work. The Firemen told us to make sure there is a fire extinguisher near by. They told us to have a meeting spot at least 300 feet or 100 yards away from the house. The Firemen told us to not grab things or pets unless they are right by us. The Firemen told us not to hide from them and don’t be afraid of them! The poster competition was really fun, even though we had only a little bit of time to work on our posters. It doesn’t matter if you win or lose, we had a lot of fun! Autumn Carley got 3rd place, Kailey Larsen got 2nd place, & Elly Fogt got first place for the 2018 poster contest. If you get first place, you get $10, 2nd was $5, and 3rd was a $2 dollar bill. When you get 1st place your poster goes to state. The theme was, “Look, listen, learn. Be aware! Fire can happen anywhere.” The theme was hard to draw, but the 4-B class was resilient & never gave up! Also for Fire Prevention Week, we read the story “Fire” by Joy Masoff. The author is great because the way she uses words like curfew which is a French word for “cover the fire.” We thought it was awesome. Did you know in the olden days they used bucket brigades to put out fires? The houses in those days were made of straw and all built near each other and if one caught on fire they all caught on fire. In some cities, men were appointed to wander the streets at night to watch for fires. Famous patriots like Paul Revere, Presidents George Washington & Thomas Jefferson were volunteer firefights. The first woman firefighter was Molly Williams, who lived in the late 1700s. Everyone worked together. Another reason we loved Fire Prevention Week is because Firemen visited classrooms and answered questions: Is it the law to have egress windows in the basement if there is a bedroom? They also gave us fire prevention string bag and t- shirts. The t-shirts and bags had the firefighter’s symbol. The sound of sirens were a sign that the kindergarteners were enjoying the annual ride on the fire trucks.