Kenowa Hills — Kenowa Hills Middle School students in Lisa White’s Life Skills class recently had their fears of the unknown extinguished during a visit from the City of Walker Fire Marshall Kevin Degroot.
Degroot presented to several classes and led a hands-on demonstration of how to properly use a fire extinguisher.
Using a controlled, live fire prop outside in the parking lot, each student got the chance to try putting out the fire.
“Pull the pin, aim at the base of the fire, squeeze and sweep,” Degroot instructed.
When it was her turn, eighth-grader Eden Hrycyk picked up the extinguisher and squeezed the handle, but her initial spray didn’t put the fire out.
“The flames weren’t getting smaller, so I moved closer,” she said.
Some students shared how the lesson challenged their expectations of fire extinguishers.
Sixth-grader Ryleigh Kingma said she thought the extinguisher would be filled with foam instead of powder.
Another student said he expected it to be heavier to lift.
Degroot also gave instructions for how to respond during a house fire.
“Keep fire in front of you and keep an exit clear behind you,” he said. “If you’re not comfortable using the extinguisher, walk away and get out of the house.”
After the demonstration, sixth-grader Alex Dombrowski said if he was ever in a situation with someone else who may not know how to react, he now knows how to use an extinguisher.
Ryleigh added: “This helped us feel better prepared and know what to expect and how to react when there is a fire.”
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