Ocean City Fire Safety Camp for Kids
Fire Safety
OCEAN CITY, Md. – Ocean City’s Fire Department hosted its 4th annual Fire camp for school-aged kids ages 7 to 14 years old. There were over 60 kids in attendance and the program is meant to encourage and educate the youth.
Stop, Drop, and Roll. Smoke alarms, safety precautions and meeting spots are just some of the things students learned while attending Fire Camp in Ocean City. Firefighter Ryan Whittington says this is the age they start recruiting and that’s why they provide a curriculum that can keep children engaged. “Even though they’re doing various activities, they’re still learning about teamwork, they’re learning about safety, they’re learning about accountability… We also teach a lot about fire safety. And everything that we teach these kids here, they are getting a glimpse into the safety aspect- fire safety, dialing 911, escaping your home, and what tools firefighters and paramedics use every day on our job.”
Reducing stress and anxiety around emergencies is a key part according to Blake Cropper, a camp instructor and 5th-grade teacher at Pocomoke Middle. There are a few key things they will train all students to remember during a crisis. “So, we teach them about knowing their 911 address, but we also practice calling 911, and having a simulator because that can be very daunting… Always making sure they’re away from the stove and the kitchen, always making sure they’re blowing out their candles when they leave, but also knowing their home address, knowing their meeting place outside so if something were to happen if there’s an emergency they don’t tend to freeze, they tend to jump into action.”
Battalion Chief Rick Koch, whose granddaughters were in attendance, says safety is a top priority, so much so, that they’ve received The Maryland Star of Life Award for an outstanding rescue under extreme circumstances by EMS personnel, every year they’ve hosted their fire camp. “We want to make sure that promoting the health and safety of children throughout and upcoming, that’s part of it.”
I couldn’t leave without speaking to the people the camp was created for. Finn Cropper is a 9-year-old who attends Snow Hill Elementary. He has fun here and says as long as you follow the rules, you’ll have a good time. “Some things I learned was stop drop, and roll and apparently the canine here can-do stop drop and roll, and that the hose can actually spray very far… It’s fine , it’s just you have to listen and do what they tell. you too, but it is very fun to come here.”
Ocean City Fire Department expects to see more than 150 kids during the camp month, and they’re excited for them all. July’s session starts on the 15th, and while there is a fee,
they do offer scholarship programs so that children from everywhere can attend.
