The West Islip Fire Department held its annual fire awareness demonstration event outside the firehouse on Sunday afternoon.
Now in the program's 10th year, the WIFD simulated different situations where families and local residents can get a hands-on education on how to escape a fire safely.
The event was part of an ongoing effort in October to spread awareness on fire safety to the community, especially to children.
"Every year, we go to the elementary schools in West Islip and give presentations to the kids there on how to take proper safety precautions," said EMS Chief John McAuley. "We teach them stop, drop and roll, dress up as firemen and make sure they are well acquainted with us. As kids, they can be scared of someone in that kind of equipment."
Another organization that was at the event was Safe Kids, a non-profit organization dedicated to eliminating preventable childhood injuries. "Car accidents are the leading cause of deaths among children ages 1-14," said Child Passenger Safety Instructor Kathy Bottner,
Bottner had a table set up which featured a car seat where her child assistants would sit in them and demonstrate how to sit properly and wear a seatbelt. They also had a car set up which was a "Spot The Tot" demonstration, where someone would sit in the drivers seat and look behind them and not be able to see a child sitting on the driveway due to blind spots.
"We encourage parents to walk all the way around your parked vehicle to check for kids, pets or toys before starting the car and backing out of the driveway," Bottner said.
She also explained when children should properly be transferred from a booster seat to a regular car seat. "When a child can sit with their back completely against the back seat, and their knee bends at the edge of the bottom portion of the seat, they are ready for a regular car seat. If they are not able to do this yet, they must stay in a booster seat," Bottner said.
For more information on Safe Kids, please visit here.
