The Manhattan Fire Department handed out educational coloring books and home protection information to kids and their parents during the annual Back-to-School Safety Expo, Saturday afternoon at Manhattan Town Center.
“The coloring book has some fire safety tips in it and things like that so hopefully they can learn a little bit; and then for the adults, we also have things about home fire safety, renters insurance, things like that we can also teach the adults while we’re here,” said Gregg Van De Creek, Firefighter for the MFD.
When teaching children about fire safety, Van De Creek said repetition is key, “Retention is a big thing with kids where you teach them one thing and then they maybe forget about it. That one time they forget about it could be the time a fire happens, we try and hit them multiple times throughout the year and then also every year, 1st grade, 2nd grade, 3rd grade, 4th, all the way through high school, we keep pounding these messages home.”
Cooking fires are the most common type in Manhattan, however Van De Creek said most can be avoided by getting rid of distraction and employing a little common sense.
The Riley County Police Department and Riley County EMS also participated in Saturday’s event.
