Fire safety talk at Nenagh Library
Nenagh Library was delighted to welcome firefighters David Gill and Kieran O’Donoghue, from our local fire station last week to talk to pupils from the CBS Primary and St Mary’s No 2 NS about fire safety.
The firefighters also gave an insight into their job and the different aspects of the work that they do, including educating the public on fire safety. A full house of over 50 students listened intently to the talk, watching carefully as David demonstrated and Kieran explained their kit and equipment, telling them about the necessity for working smoke alarms and having fires escape plans in the home.
They spoke about how to recognise where a fire was in the house, who to call and what to do in case of a fire. Coming up to Halloween, they also took the opportunity to remind everyone of the dangers of using illegal fireworks and gave hints on how to keep pets safe and calm at this time of the year.
The children were clearly very interested, some having had occasion to call on the fire brigade in the past. They were fascinated by the fact that fire service crewmen and women must be on call 24/7, 365 days a year in order to serve and protect the people of Nenagh and the wider county, and were very impressed when David showed them his pager and spoke about the importance of always answering its call when they were on duty.
With Kieran explaining the different pieces of equipment and clothing, David demonstrated how they worked, including heavy duty equipment like the hydraulic spreader/cutter, known as the ‘Jaws of Life.’ Again, the children had several questions, wanting to know whether this would work on an armoured car… that question Kieran turned over to their station officer, Anthony Griffin, who also dropped in in the day.
And of course, no visit by fire station crew members would be complete without the children taking turns trying on the heavy jackets and helmets that are the all - important safety gear for those who work in this, one of the most vital public services that we have.
We would like to take this opportunity to thank the boys and girls, and their teachers from St Mary’s No 2 and the CBS Primary Schools for visiting us on the day, and extend our sincere thanks to Anthony, David and Kieran for taking the time to come and talk to the children, as part of their outreach educational service.