Livonia Fire Department

Livonia classes visit fire station

As part of Livonia Fire Department’s Operation E.D.I.T.H. (exit drills in the home) campaign, the department invited four classes from Livonia Central School to the firehouse. While there, the children enjoyed ice cream with toppings while they were given a tour of the firehouse, discussed the job the firefighters do, and viewed the equipment and apparatus used to save lives and property.

The first classes which were invited in K- 6 were those which had 100 percent participation in Operation EDITH last fall. Those were Mr. Kranz’s first grade class, Mr. Estabrook’s third grade class, Mrs. Lavner’s fifth grade class and Mr. Catlin’s fifth grade class — in which each child’s family went through the step-by-step drill which informs each member of the family what to do in the event of a fire in the home.

Past Chief Dave Peck, who has been the LFD’s Fire Prevention Officer for approximately 30 years, noted this was the second year in a row that Mr. Catlin has had 100 percent participation in EDITH.

“Our thanks go out to these teachers for their support,” Peck said. “They understand that this training lesson can mean the difference between life and death for these kids.”

Peck added that last year Livonia’s K-6 only had about 65 percent overall participation.

“This means there are approximately 300 kids in Livonia school who may not have the knowledge and training to get out of their home in case of a fire at night,” Peck cautions. “Devastating fires happen everyday. Parents especially need to be sure their kids know what to do before a fire happens. Practice with your kids today before it’s too late! If you are not sure of what to do to help protect your family, you may call me for assistance at 346-5219.”

A family which is versed in EDITH has: working smoke detectors in the home (replace them if they are over 10 years old) and two ways to get out of every room.

The exit drill in the home entails: sleeping with your bedroom door closed; rolling out of bed if you hear the smoke alarm; crawling low under the smoke; feeling your door to see if it is hot before you open it; if the door is hot don’t open it — use your second means of escape; meeting outside at a pre-designated place for the whole family; and calling 911 from a neighbor’s house.

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