GINA B. GOOD / PVT Third, fourth and fifth graders and the afternoon kindergarten class at Mt. Charleston Elementary School reach out and touch firefighter Joe Gundacker as he crawls through the assembly hall, wearing his turnouts and breathing noisily through his apparatus. Advertisement

Mt. Charleston Elementary School students were recently treated to a visit by Pahrump Valley Fire-Rescue Services.

Two assemblies were held for the kids and the sound level in the meeting hall proved they were having a great time with Lt. Anita Smith and her band of volunteers: Joe Gundacker, Kenneth Swiger, Latasha McCulley, Anna Cadigan and Scott Ashcraft.

Flashy the fire dog, the PVF-RS's stuffed mascot was also on hand in his electric fire engine.

The firefighters' visit left the students with serious lessons on how to act if a fire threatens their homes or anywhere they happen to be.

It was obvious Smith had visited the school before as children immediately shouted out responses to her questions at the top of their lungs.

They knew to get out and stay out of the building, not go back inside to retrieve anything left behind. They also knew not to hide inside to ensure firefighters could find them.

"If you can't get out, what do you do," asked Smith.

"Stay by a door or a window," the kids screamed back at her.

The kids knew the drill to stop, drop and roll in case they or others catch on fire.

They also knew never to play with matches or fire, and that message was supported by a short video depicting kids burning down their clubhouse because they were careless with matches. If they find matches around the house, the kids were told to leave them alone and tell an adult they found them.

Smith's animated presentation style completely engaged and energized the students as she ran back and forth across the front of the room during demonstrations. She did not need a microphone to get her point across.

"Are you kids going to play with matches or lighters," she asked.

"No," the audience shouted.

One of the most important lessons for the kids was designed to help them get over any fear they might have of firefighters dressed in padded fire suits and breathing apparatus. In dim, smoky light such figures can cause children to panic and hide.

However, when Gundacker was challenged to see how fast he could don the firefighting suit, which included a hooded jacket, bunker pants and coat and his fire boots, the kids were cheering him on by chanting, "Go, Joe! Go, Joe! Go, Joe!"

Next, Gundacker crawled through the audience, breathing through the self-contained breathing apparatus. Children didn't need any encouragement to reach out and touch the suit and give Gundacker a high five or hug around the neck.

When kids asked Smith what it's like to be in a fire, she answered, "It's pitch black and fire is noisy and very hot. If you don't like to be in the total pitch dark or in small places, it's somewhat scary. It's a hard job," she told the kids. "But it's very rewarding."

Smith added that she tells her trainees, "When your ears start to burn, get out."

Shortly after leaving the school, Smith was out on a fire call.