Two fire trucks and an ambulance were parked outside Martin Elementary School in New Kensington on Friday morning, but there wasn’t any emergency.
Volunteer firefighters visited the school to talk about fire safety with the school’s kindergarten and pre-kindergarten students and, of course, to show them their trucks.
Assistant fire Chief Vince Sekanick talked with the kids about things such as smoke detectors, the importance of getting out of a house if there’s a fire, having an agreed-upon meeting place, calling 911 and knowing how to stop, drop and roll.
Another important part of the visit was showing students what a firefighter looks like in full gear.
“We want them to not be afraid of us when they see us,” Sekanick said.
Anthony Ferma, a New Kensington firefighter who also works as a custodian at Martin, put on his gear including a self-contained breathing apparatus so students could see what it all looked and sounded like.
“Underneath all this, I’m still Mr. Anthony,” he told them. “I’m still your friend. It’s still me.”
