Fire and Rescue NSW expands fire safety lessons into schools and rolls out new education apps - NSW
Published: 04 Mar 2023 07:48pm
Fire safety will become child’s play as Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) expands its award-winning education program into schools and launches interactive gaming apps.
The new resources, including the ‘Brigade Kids’ website, are tailored for pre-school and primary school-aged children, and deliver engaging lessons on how our youngest can prevent, prepare for, respond to and recover from fires.
FRNSW firefighters visited Wattle Grove Public School, in Sydney’s south-west, which is among the first schools to include ‘Brigade Kids’ in its curriculum following a successful trial run on the state’s Mid North Coast.
The ‘Brigade Kids’ website contains easy-to-use lesson plans for teachers, which complement the long-standing school visits conducted by FRNSW firefighters, as well as checklists and activities helping families consider how to stay safe in their own homes.
It also features seven games reinforcing life-saving lessons, such as the importance of working smoke alarms, how to safely escape a building if there is a fire and reporting an emergency to Triple Zero (000).
The newest game, called ‘Home Fire Safety Hero’, is a phone or tablet app using augmented reality technology, which combines real-world experiences with computer-generated content.
It points users to common fire safety hazards in their home and encourages them to make them safe, with virtual firefighters joining them on their journey to deliver fire safety advice.
‘BlazeXcape’, which is a time-based game educating on hazards and what to do if a fire breaks out, is now also available as an app.
FRNSW Assistant Commissioner – Community Safety Trent Curtin said programs like ‘Brigade Kids’, while aimed at children aged four and above, have the ability to improve safety right across the community.
“What our firefighters have found is that children who’ve engaged with these lessons in the classroom are going home and inspiring their parents, extended families and friends to be fire safe,” Assistant Commissioner Curtin said.
“This effectively makes our kids fire safety ambassadors and helps amplify the messages across all age groups and cultural backgrounds.”
The Brigade Kids resources can be found by visiting http://brigadekids.com [external link]
EDITORS NOTE:_ Footage of children playing the Brigade Kids games and engaging in FRNSW’s fire safety education in schools is available for download – _https://vimeo.com/801805340/04e14a0616 [external link]
Updated: 05 Mar 2023 12:37am
Related safety topics
It“s the law to have at least one working smoke alarm installed on every level of your home.
Having a home escape plan and a working smoke alarm increases your chances of getting out safely.
Details about this incident may change and should not be used as emergency information and/or advice.
For all life threatening emergencies, call Triple Zero (000)
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