The 14 th session of Littleton Fire Rescue's Kids' Mini Academy included four fun filled days of learning about life as a firefighter as well as many important safety messages. Twenty three children between the ages of 8 and 12 participated in the academy. The children spent time in the Littleton Fire Rescue life safety house learning about cooking safety, match and lighter safety, the necessity of having working smoke alarms throughout the home, and the importance of developing a home escape plan and practicing home fire drills. To help them understand how firefighters search for people who need help getting out if there is a fire, they took part in a mock search and rescue drill. Teams of three were blindfolded and then worked together to rescue a victim (in this case a stuffed Dalmatian puppy).

The Mini Academy takes place at a fire station three out of the four days, allowing the kids to become familiar with the lifestyle of firefighters and experience first hand what they do on a daily basis. The participants were taught some of the basic skills firefighters need such as basic first aid and how to tie a variety of useful knots.

One entire day was devoted to "wheel safety". The kids brought bikes and scooters and practiced their riding skills during a Bike Rodeo. In addition, the importance of wearing a helmet was illustrated. They experienced what it might be like to have a brain injury through several hands on activities.

The final day of the academy was held at the Metro Fire Training Center. Throughout the day, children learned how to wield a hose and extinguish a pretend flame, tested their stamina during the physically challenging combat test, and toured the grounds of the training academy. As a grand finale, a graduation ceremony was held, with representatives from Littleton Fire in attendance to hand out certificates and shake hands.

Another session of the Kids' Mini Fire Academy will be held July 14 - 17. The roster is full at this time, and there is a waiting list. If you live within Littleton Fire's jurisdiction and are interested in enrolling your child in a future academy, please contact Life Safety Educator Katie Moore at 303-795-3833.