Hands-on fire safety in Myrnam

With last week being fire prevention week, Myrnam high school students learned how to safely use fire extinguishers.

Under the supervision of County of Two Hills Fire Chief, Brad Straty, they used six extinguishers that had been donated by Lakeland Fire & Safety.

“We want to stay upwind when we fight this type of fire,” said Straty.

Learning to do by doing was a great opportunity, and Straty said some of them may have to put their experience to use in the kitchen some day. Students examined why some fires went out easier, and others were more stubborn.

They said the fire grew hotter each time and the chemical reaction became more resistant to a point. A pooling effect created a residual burn and the way the extinguishers were sprayed, they were not getting full coverage of the fire.

Teacher Robert Tymofichuk said, “I had a shop fire a couple years ago. Thank goodness I had an extinguisher – otherwise, I would have lost everything.”

Principal, Adrienne Owen, even participated in practising fire safety. She said the fire safety lesson was incorporated in their CTS classes for workplace and ag safety (HCS-3000 and Ag-3000) as well as green certificate for horticulture.

Overall, students got a good sense of handling the equipment, and each used a gentle sweeping motion to extinguish the flames.