Fire Prevention Day takes place on the same day the Great Chicago Fire in 1871. According to an online encyclopedia, about a third of Chicago was demolished, and 300 people died. Another 100,000 people lost their homes. Although it’s not certain what started the fire, some believe a toppled lantern in a barn was the cause.
During the recent Fire Prevention Day at Patrick M. Villano School, Emerson firefighters taught students ways to prevent fires from happening so that disasters like that never occur again. One of those firefighters was Chief Thomas Carlos.
“I joined the fire department and started taking all of the classes that were offered, so I could become a better firefighter,” Carlos said. “As the years went on, I realized that I could be a good leader and became an officer. I have worked my way up to being Chief, a position I’ve had for the last 10 years.”
During a demonstration at school, students explored ways to safely escape a fire using a special trailer from the Bergen County Department of Public Safety.
“We had to crawl through smoke during the fake fire to represent what to do during a real one,” Riya Shah, a student, said.
Emerson firefighters also rolled a firefighting truck to the school for students to explore.
