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BOARDMAN -- For many years, the Boardman Fire Department hosted training sessions in a safety trailer that was taken to school parking lots, special events and at its stations.
However, the trailer was getting old and needed renovations.
"It needed a lot of work," said Boardman interim fire Chief Bill Glaser. "And it could not be used indoors."
Boardman Lt. James Yocum said there was also storage fees and maintenance that was a constant cost with the trailer
"So we sold the trailer and bought the blowup safety house," Yocum said. "It was almost a wash (price-wise) and the new safety house is ADA compliant. The old safety trailer was not."
The timing for the new fire safety tool was perfect as this week is National Fire Prevention Week. On Monday, the new safety house visited West Boulevard and Robinwood elementary schools in Boardman. On Tuesday, Stadium Drive students were able to walk to the main fire station on Market Street, where it was set up inside the station.
This year's Fire Prevention Week theme is "Charge Into Fire Safety: Safe Charging is a Superpower." Boardman firefighters used the visits to help students understand the importance of safe charging practices, along with other age-appropriate fire safety lessons.
One big draw in the safety house was the large "smoke" cloud with a face. The piece was used to help first graders understand what to do in a smoke filled house. Students had to get low to escape by crawling under the smoke cloud.
To further aid in the fire safety week lessons was the department's big ladder truck. It was driven to the schools and firefighters were able to show the kind of equipment the big truck carries. Students also got to see how heavy the uniforms are and got to try on an air pack.