On Tuesday and Wednesday, in honor of National Fire Prevention Week, Volunteers from the Cutchogue and Mattituck Fire Departments spent the day at the Cutchogue East Elementary School teaching the children of our community the do's and don'ts of fire safety.

The annual fire Prevention Program is a collaborative effort with the Cutchogue and Matttiuck Fire Departments

Over the course of the week firefighters will reach out to over 600 children in our community.

This year's theme was ““Charge into Fire Safety™: Lithium-Ion Batteries in Your Home.” ” It highlights how important it is to buy, charge, and recycle lithium-ion batteries safely. From Phones to Power Tools everyone is urged to Know the Risks of Lithium-Ion Batteries this Fire Prevention Week

Volunteers taught the students how to properly dial 911 to report an emergency along with teaching each student how to identify and correct hazards throughout the home. This was done by walking through a Fire Safety House that is jointly owned by both Fire Departments. While in the Safety house students were also taught how to safely exit a smoke filled home safely.

Students were also able to witness and participate in live demonstrations that included the proper use of fire extinguishers. Following the presentation students also were given tours of the fire apparatus and ambulance that were on display at the school.

The Fifth and Sixth grade students were treated to a special demonstration put on by the The Suffolk County Police Aviation unit. A Police Helicopter landed at the school and explained the critical role they play in treating and transporting patients that are injured in motor vehicle accidents, other serious accidents or medical emergencies.

Firefighters and EMTs demonstrated how they load patients into the helicopter for transport. Students also had the opportunity to tour the helicopter and speak with the pilots and flight paramedic.

This year's program also covered school bus safety and emergency procedures. Dave Surozenski of Sunrise Bus Company gave students a quick presentation and then gave them a chance to review and practice emergency egress using the emergency doors. We would like to thank Sunrise Bus Co. for being a part of these special days.

Each Student received a t-shirt, coloring book and a packet containing school supplies and valuable fire safety information courtesy of the Fire Departments.

The community is reminded to discuss fire safety with their children and remember to test your smoke detectors and change your batteries annually.

Both the Cutchogue and Mattituck Fire Departments would like to thank the staff of the Cutchogue East School for opening your doors to us for this valuable program.

Thank You to the Suffolk County Police Aviation unit and for being a part of this years program

Thank you to all of the volunteers who donated their time to make this years program a success. Thank you to the Paramedics From Stony Brook University Hospital First Responder program for stopping by to participate in the days events.

To learn more about the History of Fire Prevention Week click Here: http://www.cutchoguefiredept.org/apps/public/news/newsView.cfm?News_ID=375