Local firefighters visit JSC’s Child Care Center, educate kids on fire safety
2013-11-04
In recognition of Fire Prevention Week, members of the League City Fire Department paid a visit on Oct. 11 to Johnson Space Center’s Child Care Center, which carried on despite a government shutdown. This annual event was part of JSC’s Fire Safety Week activities.
“This had been planned for a couple of months and was to follow Safety & Health Day, which was postponed due to the government furlough,” said Rindy Carmichael, Safety & Health Communications Office project lead. “I was stunned at how many children were there—87 out of their normal 115 capacity. It was awesome!”
Carmichael has been organizing this event for the past three years and feels “they are great at teaching the children not to be afraid of firemen and women. Oftentimes, the children will panic and hide, so the goal is to show them that firemen are real people who want to help them.”
Firefighters educate kids about fire safety
With a big, red fire truck and lots of planned activities, firefighters entertained and educated the youngsters and their families about the importance of fire safety. The kids learned safety awareness tips and got an up-close-and-personal look at the fire truck. They also watched a demonstration of a firefighter suiting up, just like they do at the station during an emergency call.
“October is Fire Prevention Month, so we spend a lot of time going to schools and daycare centers to help children learn about fire safety,” said Ray Bigonesse, a volunteer firefighter with the League City Volunteer Fire Department, as well as a flight controller here at JSC for the International Space Station. And as the lead Visiting Vehicle Officer for the Cygnus vehicle, he is no stranger to safety.
Bigonesse said his job as a flight controller and volunteer firefighter have very similar safety concerns. Both require the ability to make life-or-death decisions quickly, without panic, and can have catastrophic consequences if a bad call is made. Both positions “encourage training to remove emotion and delay from decision-making while promoting strong real-time problem identification and resolution skills, critical crisis management, etc., and my fire Instructor certification with the State of Texas has also given me the skills needed to do well in instructor training here in Mission Operations, as well.”
The child care center event is one of many visits the firefighters make to help promote the most important facets of fire safety awareness to kids.
“We start with very young children and make presentations to all grade levels, so over the years, they see it several times,” Bigonesse said. “Specifically, we teach them to get out and stay out of the house if there’s a fire; to stop, drop and roll if their clothes are on fire; to call 9-1-1 in an emergency; and what a firefighter in full gear looks like. Hopefully, they’ll never have to actually use that knowledge, but if they do, then all of the time and energy put into fire prevention will be worth it. We’re trying to put ourselves out of a job!”
On being a volunteer firefighter, Bigonesse said it is a remarkable feeling to help people in their most dire time of need, “and aside from the things I’ve done at NASA, it’s one of the things I’m most proud of in my life.”
Buddy has an important job
In addition, the Pearland Fire Marshal’s Office brought Buddy the Accelerant Detection Canine to join the festivities.
“Buddy is a 5-year-old yellow Labrador Retriever and has been my partner for three years now,” said Greg Bozdech, Pearland deputy fire marshal/K9 handler. “We both work for the City of Pearland's Fire Marshal Division of the Pearland Fire Department. Buddy is trained to sniff and detect the presence of hydrocarbons in ignitable liquid substances.”
Fire investigations is Buddy's primary job with the Fire Marshal's Division, but not his only responsibility.
“Buddy and I visit schools, day cares and various other groups and organizations of different age groups to help promote fire safety through public education and public relations events,” Bozdech said. “Our office has received phone calls from parents and grandparents stating their children have come home from one of these events talking about Buddy and having the parents and grandparents practice stop, drop and roll for hours. In my eyes, this makes Buddy a powerful tool in helping teach fire safety lessons.”
Bozdech feels the most rewarding thing to him and Buddy when doing these events is the joy and smiles they bring to everyone young and old and, “that coupled with the children learning fire safety, makes Buddy and I know our jobs are important and effective.”
A parent’s praise
“Having the League City Fire Department visit was great for the kids,” said Christine Reichert, Orbit Dynamics branch chief and parent of Anna and Abigail. “They learn about fire safety from the beginning and bring that information home to help facilitate family evacuation plans. To have your 3-year-old show you at home where they would be if there was a fire in their room is a real comfort in case the situation was to ever arise.”
Reichert said both Anna and Abigail loved seeing the fire dog and fire truck and, although “they did get scared when the fire fighter got dressed in the gear,” Reichert feels that is all part of the learning process to show the kids that firefighters might look intimidating, but they are definitely there to help.
Message from the Child Care Center director
Brooke Stephens, executive director of Space Family Education, Inc. (SFEI), said that the JSC Child Care Center remained open while JSC was on furlough, and the majority of the children remained at the school during this time. Stephens believes the fire-truck event gave the children and JSC parents an opportunity to share in memories through a fun, family-friendly activity.
“The JSC Child Care Center loves exposing the children each year to fire safety with the help of the League City Fire Department,” Stephens said. “SFEI continues to be amazed at the enthusiasm and knowledge our students have of what to do in case of a fire emergency. We believe that learning about the firefighters and Buddy, the fire dog, is not only entertaining for the children, but will help them in case a real emergency were to occur at their homes.”
Neesha Hosein
NASA Johnson Space Center
“This had been planned for a couple of months and was to follow Safety & Health Day, which was postponed due to the government furlough,” said Rindy Carmichael, Safety & Health Communications Office project lead. “I was stunned at how many children were there—87 out of their normal 115 capacity. It was awesome!”
Carmichael has been organizing this event for the past three years and feels “they are great at teaching the children not to be afraid of firemen and women. Oftentimes, the children will panic and hide, so the goal is to show them that firemen are real people who want to help them.”
Firefighters educate kids about fire safety
With a big, red fire truck and lots of planned activities, firefighters entertained and educated the youngsters and their families about the importance of fire safety. The kids learned safety awareness tips and got an up-close-and-personal look at the fire truck. They also watched a demonstration of a firefighter suiting up, just like they do at the station during an emergency call.
“October is Fire Prevention Month, so we spend a lot of time going to schools and daycare centers to help children learn about fire safety,” said Ray Bigonesse, a volunteer firefighter with the League City Volunteer Fire Department, as well as a flight controller here at JSC for the International Space Station. And as the lead Visiting Vehicle Officer for the Cygnus vehicle, he is no stranger to safety.
Bigonesse said his job as a flight controller and volunteer firefighter have very similar safety concerns. Both require the ability to make life-or-death decisions quickly, without panic, and can have catastrophic consequences if a bad call is made. Both positions “encourage training to remove emotion and delay from decision-making while promoting strong real-time problem identification and resolution skills, critical crisis management, etc., and my fire Instructor certification with the State of Texas has also given me the skills needed to do well in instructor training here in Mission Operations, as well.”
The child care center event is one of many visits the firefighters make to help promote the most important facets of fire safety awareness to kids.
“We start with very young children and make presentations to all grade levels, so over the years, they see it several times,” Bigonesse said. “Specifically, we teach them to get out and stay out of the house if there’s a fire; to stop, drop and roll if their clothes are on fire; to call 9-1-1 in an emergency; and what a firefighter in full gear looks like. Hopefully, they’ll never have to actually use that knowledge, but if they do, then all of the time and energy put into fire prevention will be worth it. We’re trying to put ourselves out of a job!”
On being a volunteer firefighter, Bigonesse said it is a remarkable feeling to help people in their most dire time of need, “and aside from the things I’ve done at NASA, it’s one of the things I’m most proud of in my life.”
Buddy has an important job
In addition, the Pearland Fire Marshal’s Office brought Buddy the Accelerant Detection Canine to join the festivities.
“Buddy is a 5-year-old yellow Labrador Retriever and has been my partner for three years now,” said Greg Bozdech, Pearland deputy fire marshal/K9 handler. “We both work for the City of Pearland's Fire Marshal Division of the Pearland Fire Department. Buddy is trained to sniff and detect the presence of hydrocarbons in ignitable liquid substances.”
Fire investigations is Buddy's primary job with the Fire Marshal's Division, but not his only responsibility.
“Buddy and I visit schools, day cares and various other groups and organizations of different age groups to help promote fire safety through public education and public relations events,” Bozdech said. “Our office has received phone calls from parents and grandparents stating their children have come home from one of these events talking about Buddy and having the parents and grandparents practice stop, drop and roll for hours. In my eyes, this makes Buddy a powerful tool in helping teach fire safety lessons.”
Bozdech feels the most rewarding thing to him and Buddy when doing these events is the joy and smiles they bring to everyone young and old and, “that coupled with the children learning fire safety, makes Buddy and I know our jobs are important and effective.”
A parent’s praise
“Having the League City Fire Department visit was great for the kids,” said Christine Reichert, Orbit Dynamics branch chief and parent of Anna and Abigail. “They learn about fire safety from the beginning and bring that information home to help facilitate family evacuation plans. To have your 3-year-old show you at home where they would be if there was a fire in their room is a real comfort in case the situation was to ever arise.”
Reichert said both Anna and Abigail loved seeing the fire dog and fire truck and, although “they did get scared when the fire fighter got dressed in the gear,” Reichert feels that is all part of the learning process to show the kids that firefighters might look intimidating, but they are definitely there to help.
Message from the Child Care Center director
Brooke Stephens, executive director of Space Family Education, Inc. (SFEI), said that the JSC Child Care Center remained open while JSC was on furlough, and the majority of the children remained at the school during this time. Stephens believes the fire-truck event gave the children and JSC parents an opportunity to share in memories through a fun, family-friendly activity.
“The JSC Child Care Center loves exposing the children each year to fire safety with the help of the League City Fire Department,” Stephens said. “SFEI continues to be amazed at the enthusiasm and knowledge our students have of what to do in case of a fire emergency. We believe that learning about the firefighters and Buddy, the fire dog, is not only entertaining for the children, but will help them in case a real emergency were to occur at their homes.”
Neesha Hosein
NASA Johnson Space Center
Greg Bozdech, Pearland deputy fire marshal/K9 handler, and Buddy the Accelerant Detection Canine greet the children of the JSC Child Care Center on Oct. 11 during Fire Prevention Week festivities. Image Credit: Sarah Campbell
On Oct. 11, the kids, their families and the staff of the JSC Child Care Center got a special visit from members of the League City Fire Department. Image Credit: Sarah Campbell
A League City volunteer firefighter educates the youngsters about fire safety. Image Credit: Sarah Campbell
League City volunteer firefighters demonstrate how they suit up. Image Credit: Sarah Campbell
Kids at the JSC Child Care Center pet Buddy the Accelerant Detection Canine. Image Credit: Sarah Campbell
Children and staff at the JSC Child Care Center pose with a League City Fire Department fire truck on Oct. 11. Image Credit: Sarah Campbell