Fire camp combines fun with safety skills

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Photos courtesy of Summerfi eld Fire District Summerfi eld Fire District hosted its sixth annual fi re camp for kids the week of June 20-24. Over the course of fi ve days, the 36 campers were taught fi re safety and lifesaving lessons – with a lot of fun mixed in. by CHRIS BURRITT CHRIS BURRITT

SUMMERFIELD – What could be cooler than cutting up an old car, playing a game of tug of war and riding in a red fire truck?

Last week, Summerfield Fire District’s sixth annual fire camp provided 36 rising third through fifth graders with five days of fire safety and lifesaving lessons mixed with fun activities.

The children arrived at Station No. 9 on Summerfield Road for the start of camp on the morning of June 20, just a few days after the program had won a statewide award. It received the North Carolina Fire and Life Safety Award of Excellence which recognizes programs that help prevent the devastation of fire sweet to see that the firemen were as

and burn injuries and death.

“I realized by Day 2 what a great feeling I had about dropping my child off,” parent Megan Dyson posted on the fire district’s Facebook page. “It was sweet to see that the firemen were as excited as the kids every morning.”

A bike rodeo taught the campers about cycling and pedestrian safety. They rode in the back of a fire truck to a

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make-believe fire to rescue “Timmy,” a cloth pillow in the shape of a doll. With the aid of firefighters and power cutting tools, the campers pretended the rescue victims were trapped in a wrecked car.

Campers also learned how to call 911, use a fire extinguisher and administer first aid. One mother posted on the district’s Facebook page that her child reported he “almost passed out” from the fake blood. The next morning, he couldn’t wait to return to camp.

The campers also had old-fashioned fun – sloshing water in the bucket brigade, making crafts and eating snacks. The camp ended with a graduation cookout.

“Thank you for being so good to our kids and teaching them so much,” Lindsay Arnold posted on Facebook. The district “is doing a wonderful job of making learning fun.”