Volunteers Help Aldrich Students Bring a Story to Life

The weather may have been freezing cold on Wednesday morning, but when the students from saw the shining red truck from the Southard Fire Department outside their building the temperature was the last thing on their minds. 

Thanks to the efforts of second grade teacher Lisa Varley, students at the school got an up close and personal look at the truck and also got to talk to some firefighters who are also parents in the class. Chris Jackson, an ex chief at the Southard house said with the school being in their district he was happy to bring one of the rigs to show the students. "They wanted us to come in and asked if we could bring some of our equipment with us and explain to them what a fire figther does," he said. 

Jackson said his son Ryan grew up in the firehouse so he was glad to help bring some of that experience to the rest of the students. He also said this is not the first time the Aldrich students have been taught valuable fire safety lessons. "My fire department is the department that covers the school so we're here a lot," he said. "We're just trying to get the kids to show them what it is, show them how tough it really can be, how much the equipment weighs, and what kind of training we have to go through."

Not only did the students see their guests put on the full fire fighting gear, they also got a chance to see their teachers shoulder the weight of the helmets, jackets and pants that goes with the job. 

Varley was one of the teachers to put on the equipment and said she was glad to see the students so excited by the program. "I love doing outside connections with whatever we're learning in class," she said. The idea came from a story they were reading called "A trip to the fire station." "When I saw this story I thought how great would it be to have actual fire fighters here as opposed to just reading about it and looking at it online."

She added that fire safety is something that is important to not only her students, but also the community as a whole. "After a holiday most people don't remember to check fire alarms and smoke detectors and things like that," she said. In addition to fire safety Varley said they also use the experience as part of their health and safety lessons as well. 

In addition to Jackson, there was also a representative of the nearby Freewood Acres Fire Department. The other two parent volunteers were full time fire fighters from Lakewood and Jersey City. They not only talked about the differences in their jobs and their locations but also about the training that went into them being able to serve their communities. 

And since it was a school event, the four men took the opportunity to be teachers for a few minutes as they even gave the students a homework assignment. All the children were told to go home that night and work out a plan with their parents or guardians about what they would do in the event of a fire in their house. 

Despite the cold Varley said the event was a success for everyone involved. Anytime you can celebrate a talent it's the best way for the kids to work," she said.