As Escambia County Fire Prevention Officer Ray Melton put on his firefighter gear in a classroom full of kindergartners Tuesday morning, he became less and less recognizable as the helmet, mask, and other protective attire covered him from head to toe.
When he asked the group who was afraid of firefighters, several hands shot up in the air.
"It's still me," Melton reassured the students, who began coming up to touch his mask and maybe even give him a big hug if they were feeling brave.
Showing students that firefighters aren't scary was just one of many lessons taught by Escambia County Fire Rescue's Fire Prevention Division Tuesday morning at Oakcrest Elementary School, where they will spend the week teaching fire safety classes to all 500 or so pre-K through fifth grade students at the school.
Students are trading their normal music class this week with Cathy Melton, Ray Melton's wife, to learn just about everything they need to know in the event of a fire, including where to go, how to help their younger siblings escape and why they should never go back inside of a burning house to save their toys or pets.
"It's very important that they understand the stop, drop and roll, and how to crawl under the smoke, because the good air's near the floor," Ray Melton said. "The more they do that, and when we do the hands-on where they actually get to do it, it sticks in their mind a lot better. It's just rewarding when they come back a few years from now and say 'I remember what you taught me.'"
Fire Prevention Officer Storm Smith emphasized the importance of kitchen safety with the fifth-grade class, many of whom said they help cook at home. Kitchen fires make up more than 60 percent of all house fires in Escambia County.
"People are not paying attention to what they're cooking...," Smith said. "It's really important that we pay attention."
Along with making sure an adult in the home is always monitoring the cooking, Smith stressed that water should never be used on a grease fire since it can cause the fire to spread or even explode.
When asked after the class if he would feel prepared now if he encountered a house fire, 11-year-old Donivan Montano said he "certainly" would.
"I learned many important things about fire safety here, like when you're trying to get someone else out of the house with you, make sure they grab onto something behind you and tell them to hang on, we're almost there," Montano said.
Montano added that his favorite part was getting to hug a firefighter.
"Because I've always wanted to meet a firefighter," he said.
Melton said his goal is to teach the fire safety classes to every school in Escambia County. Escambia County Fire Rescue provides the service free of charge.
"This is what it's all about," Melton said. "It saves lives. Through the smoke detector program as well as the education, we're going to save a lot of lives. We can't stop all fires, but we want people to be safe."
To request a fire safety class for a school or classroom, call Escambia County Fire Rescue's Fire Prevention Division at 850-471-6525.
For information about obtaining a home smoke detector, call 850-595-HERO (4376). City of Pensacola residents may call 850-436-5200 for smoke detector installation assistance.
Click here for home fire safety tips from the National Fire Protection Association.
