On Thursday, November 1 the Riverside Fire Department held a hands on demonstration at Moreno Valley High School to train students on how to properly use a fire extinguisher.
Participating students first took a class in the campus lecture hall where they learned about the 5 classes of fires and extinguishers, as well as basic fire safety, prevention, and more!
"Once you understand the different types of fires and their specific extinguisher class," 9th grade student Kasey Rios explains, "the process you need to know is PASS. P is for the pull, A is for aim, S is for squeeze, and S is for the sweep. You need to know that in order to put out a fire. But you must remember to NEVER put out a fire alone. You must always have a partner because that partner will help guide you away from the fire so you NEVER turn your back on it. That is essential in putting out a fire. Before you even think of putting out a fire you must think: Is the fire manageable? Do you you have the right extinguisher? Do you have a partner? Those are some things you need to consider and if you can't, immediately call a firefighter for help!"
After the class, over 150 students passed a fire safety test with an 80 percent or better and were allowed to participate in the hands on fire training drill with the Fire Department.
Participants included CTE (Career and Technical Education) programs at Moreno Valley High School: William Bourbonnais’s Contemporary Media Class, Nicole Valentine’s Business Pathway Class, Adam Weber’s welding program, and Staci Wilson’s Teacher Academy and English 1 classes. As you can see, people from all around Moreno Valley High School had the chance to participate in this fire training drill. Whilst the fire training was happening, there was a screen printing session going on in the rooms inside so the students could see our school's newest program in action.
Senior Richard Ruvalcaba said of his experience, “It really made me think about my safety and the safety of people around me. I’m not going to use extension cords all the time anymore! I’m going to think about what I do more carefully.”
His classmate, Erika Estrella, added, “I didn’t know how to use a fire extinguisher before-- I’d never had to do it-- and now I’ll feel more confident and know what I’m doing if I ever have to use it.”