Fire Class Sparks National Attention

National fire officials want to know how Anaheim does it.

In just one year, an elementary school program, Learn Not to Burn, introduced nearly 400 students to the dangers of fire while teaching life-saving lessons in case of a fire emergency.

Based on tests given at the beginning and the end of the program, the youngsters had gains in knowledge ranging from 19% to 44%--among the highest in the country, said Robyn Butler, an education specialist with the Anaheim Fire Department.

“It’s tremendous progress,” Butler said.

Those results are being recognized this week by the Massachusetts-based National Fire Protection Assn., which gave Anaheim a $20,000 grant to launch the Learn Not to Burn program last year.

Butler was in Boston Tuesday to explain Anaheim’s course, instructional materials and training to NFPA officials and other fire prevention experts.

“This is a big compliment to our organization,” Fire Chief Jeff Bowman said. “We will be assisting fire departments all across America and Canada.”

About 800 more students, in preschool through third grade, will receive the lessons in Anaheim this year. Children in that age group are often those who set fires accidentally, Butler said. Between 1993 and 1995, more than $1 million in property damage in Anaheim was blamed on fires started by children.

Learn Not to Burn teaches students to “stop, drop and roll” if their clothes catch fire and to remind their parents to check smoke detector batteries.

It also encourages children to know two ways out of every building for fire escapes, never to play with matches or lighters and to crawl low under smoke. How to report a fire is another lesson of the program.

Elementary school teachers, along with firefighters, present the four-month program and throw a congratulatory party at its conclusion to “show them they’ve done something special,” Butler said.

“They look forward to the classes,” she said. “And we’ve raised the awareness level, which is a long-term solution to fire safety.”