The Durant Fire Department visited elementary schools last week to educate third graders about 9/11 and give them a hands-on experience handling fire-rescue equipment that included an obstacle course competition among the third-grade classes.
DFD visited Washington Irving on Sept. 9.
Durant Fire Marshal Collin Gordon said third grade is a good age for children to learn and that the retention is higher for that age.
“When you go younger, they have fun doing the activities, but we’re trying to teach a lesson too,” Gordon said. “We want to make sure that we propagate the memory of the occurrences and the lives that were lost during September 11th, 2001.
“Our own brothers and sisters, 343 firemen, 60 police and 13 EMS that were lost during that day. So, we want to have a tribute this week to celebrate the lives of those people that were lost. We’re just trying to bring awareness, make sure that the next generation remembers and propagates the understanding of the events around that day and the people that we lost.”
Gordon said the obstacle course simulates many of the things firefighters do.
“So, we figured that it would be a good opportunity given this week and September 11th time frame to make it a fun opportunity to do the activities,” Gordon said. “Get some physical fitness in and also kind of show the kids the types of things that we do on a day-today basis.”
He said it is important to preserve the memory of September 11th and pass it on to younger generations.
“I knew exactly where I was when it happened, but to my kids, it’s just something that we say,” Gordon said. “So, and to their kids, it will be just something that happened a long, long time ago. It’s difficult to keep in mind the impact of the events unless we keep teaching that over and over and over. We lose it through the decades.”
Gordon said DFD has had this event for 5-6 years.
“It’s an important event for us, and we just want to continue to do it,” Gordon said. “Teach and just propagate our information and our knowledge and experience on to the next generation.”
Laura Weger’s class won the competition, and Dava Schreier’s class was a close second place.
“We were honored to have the Durant Fire Department with us today,” Washington Irving PSO said, in a social media post. “They spoke to 3rd graders about September 11th and then led them through the 9/11 Memorial Firefighter Challenge. It was a wonderful experience for the students.”
