Survival Kids imparts key lessons on safety

When Samuel Gurnsey, a fourth-grader at Rock Bridge Elementary School, learned he might miss “Survival Kids” because of a dentist’s appointment, he made sure he rushed back to school as soon as he was done. He did not want to miss the lesson on gun safety.

Started in 1994, “Survival Kids” is a month-

ly program put on by volunteers from the Boone County Fire Protection District in elementary schools around the county. Firefighters visit fourth-grade classrooms and teach eight different lessons including life skills such as water safety, what to do when you call 911 and what to do about burns.

“By educating students, you’re working in prevention mode,” said Gale Blomenkamp, division chief and the coordinator of the program.

Although the purpose of the lessons is to prevent emergencies, it also gives kids the skills to deal with one, Blomenkamp said.

“We use it as a learning opportunity for them,” he said, “and a way for us to get involved in the school.”

Blomenkamp said the Fire District developed the program. “Ours was the first one out there to do something like this,” he said, “and it’s used all over the world.”

Martina Pounds, a firefighter and “Survival Kids” instructor, recalled the time a young girl came up to her after going through all of the Survival Kids lessons. The girl said that when her family got into a car accident, she knew not to panic and how to get help because of what she’d learned in the program.

“It feels really good,” Pounds said. “You know you’re reaching them.”

On Thursday, as Pounds asked questions about gun safety, the students eagerly raised their hands to answer. They received a packet with worksheets and the 10 commandments of firearm safety — the first one is to treat every gun as if it were loaded — and they decoded a gun safety rule using math problems to break the code.

The lessons are typically interdisciplinary, weaving in math, history and English. Mary Skyvalidas, fourth-grade teacher, said it’s important for students to learn that way.

“They have to know that math is not just from 11 (a.m.) to 12 (p.m.),” Skyvalidas said.

Skyvalidas also said it’s important for the kids to learn safety from other people in the community. “It’s like a village raising a child,” she said. “We’re all a part of it.”

After the gun safety program, fourth-grader Tyler Pittman said he learned to never play with guns. He also said he likes having the firefighters in the classroom.

“They’re really special,” Pittman said. “They help us out a lot in saving people.”