Excerpts from the ChicagoTribune.com:
A small whiff of smoke and the sudden sound of a smoke alarm were enough to send nine children into panic mode at the Chicago Fire Department’s training academy on the Near West Side.
The fire drill held on Saturday, which started with harmless smoke filling a dark, pretend bedroom, was more than just a practice session for the African-American kids. According to a national organization of Black firefighters, it was a critical step in helping these children learn how to survive a real house fire.
According to the U.S. Fire Administration, the death rate of Black children in house fires is more than double that of white children, despite the fact that African-American children make up a smaller portion of the population. Fire officials say most of these deaths could be prevented with proper education and awareness.
“It all comes down to a lack of knowledge,†said Gregory Boggs, a Chicago Fire Department lieutenant and president of the African-American Firefighters & Paramedics League. “They don’t know how to escape, they don’t know how to open doors properly.â€
Before the drill began, veteran firefighter Preston Roberson reminded the kids that in a real fire, every second counts. A few of the children were caught joking around inside the tiny fake bedroom, but his loud voice quickly brought them back to reality.
Following Roberson’s instructions, the grade-schoolers sprang into action, using the backs of their hands to check the door for heat before crawling out of the room as they had been taught.
This drill was part of a full morning of activities for about 70 children and their parents during the fifth annual “Firefighter for a Day†event hosted by the league. The goal was to teach young people essential life-saving skills and introduce them to the world of firefighting.
Firefighters and paramedics, many of whom are African-American, led interactive sessions where kids learned how to create an escape plan, what to say when calling 911, and how to use basic firefighting equipment. They also got to experience what it's like to suit up and run through real-life simulations at the fire academy on DeKoven Street.
Boggs’ group has been actively working to increase diversity within the Chicago Fire Department. Currently, only about 16% of the city’s 5,000 firefighters are African-American — a number Boggs calls “pitiful.†He and his team are pushing hard to change that by encouraging more Black youth to consider firefighting as a career.
“We’re trying to make a difference,†Boggs said. “We want more African-Americans on the job, not just for representation, but because we believe they can save lives.â€
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