On the last day of fire safety week at Wee Wisdom Learning Center, children between the ages of 3 and 5 heard from the firefighters with the Carriere Volunteer Fire Department Friday morning.

As they arrived to the learning center, the kids held a banner that said “Thank you for being our heroes” and gave the firefighters water and snacks.

“We talk about playing with matches and fire with kids of this age group and the key components of fire safety,” Don Meiger said. “During fire prevention week, we go to a lot of pre-schools, this our third one this week, so we try to accommodate everybody.”

As the presentation started, Jason Mitchell and Matt Wade gave a live demonstration of the stop, drop and roll procedure, since many of the kids read about the safety technique during the week but may have not actually seen it in action.

Mitchell emphasized the importance of covering one’s face and rolling until no more flames were visible during the demonstration.

“I love coming out here,” Mitchell said. “There’s less accidents year-in and year-out. Kids and parents are more aware about fire safety.”

Afterwards, Mitchell let the class hear the sound of a smoke detector and what action they should take in case they hear it in their house.

“You don’t grab anything, especially no toys, you get out of the house and stay where we can see you,” Mitchell said.

Afterwards, Captain Andy Copeland and firefighter Mike Smith showed the kids how a firefighter looks with their gear on, because most kids have never seen a firefighter in their turnout gear.

As Smith dressed into his gear, Copeland stated that every piece of equipment is crucial for his safety and that of the people involved in the emergency.

After the presentation, the kids made their way outside and expressed excitement at the opportunity to see the inside of a fire truck.

“I love doing this thing with the kids, it’s very rewarding,” Eric Nixon said. “October is the month of fire safety, so we go (to) pre-schools and learning centers to teach kids the essentials about fire safety.”

Before the firefighters left, they showed the kids some of the tools they use during an emergency and let them hear the fire truck siren.

“You have to involve the youth,” Fire Chief Chris Banks said. “Everything starts at home and I think that’s why we have had less emergencies right now compared in years past. Coming out here and teaching the kids about what we do, it’s very rewarding.”