The West Georgia Regional Fire Safety Coalition is paying a visit to primary and elementary schools in Haralson County this week to promote fire prevention and safety as part of Fire Prevention Month, which is nationally celebrated in October.

Haralson and Heard County Fire Department employees make up the nonprofit coalition that has teamed up for the second year to provide interactive, educational prevention and safety programs targeted at pre-kindergarten through fifth-grade students in each county.

Their initiative began Tuesday at Buchanan Primary School, where students participated in various exercises in the gymnasium, including fire evacuation drills and “stop, drop and roll” demonstrations led by an amusing trio: Panky the Clown, Pluggy the Clown and their counterpart, Hot Pockets. Sparky the Fire Dog also stood by as firefighters stressed to students the importance of establishing escape plans in their homes.

“You have to know what to do in case a fire happens in your house,” echoed first-grade student Cameron Warren.

Kindergarten student Caleb Edwards also remarked about the importance of prevention while urging “you have to have a plan.”

The coalition later discussed the vitality of the safety component of the program that encouraged students to refrain from playing with fire and flammable products.

“If you play with fire, you might get burned,” said second-grade student Devin Acord.

Haralson County Fire Chief Brian Walker said the coalition targets young students mainly in pre-kindergarten through fifth grade in their prevention and safety programs because the information is more likely to stay with them for a lifetime if it’s reinforced at a young age.

“In Haralson County, we respond to about five working fires a month – most accidental. So we encourage them to take it (fire safety and prevention) seriously.”

The Fire Prevention Month initiatives in Haralson County end next Monday, Oct. 12, at West Haralson Elementary School in Tallapoosa. Activities will resume Monday, Oct. 26, when the coalition continues their efforts at schools in Heard County. Heard County Fire Deputy Chief of Administration/Prevention Chris Cumbie thanked participating school systems in the counties for providing an opportunity to inform students because “education is where fire safety starts.”

In the meantime, Walker encourages residents to change the batteries in their smoke detectors each year. He said a good reminder is to change them when you change the batteries in your clocks during daylight savings each year. He added that residents can call the Haralson County Fire Department to install smoke detectors and assist with a home safety plan.

For more information, or to make a donation to the West Georgia Regional Fire Safety Coalition, call 770-646-2036, extension 11, or 770-706-6186.