KUCHING: Most children dream of celebrating their birthday with their hero be it the fictional Power Rangers or Superman.
As for Luth Ferhan Firdaus, he wanted to celebrate his fourth birthday with firefighters.
His wish came true when he celebrated his birthday at the Community Learning Centre (CLC) at the Batu Lintang fire station on Monday (Feb 6) together with 62 children from Tadika Islam Tahfiz Al-Razi.
The children together with their teachers arrived at 9am with the State Fire and Rescue Department (Bomba) director Datuk Khirudin Drahman and his personnel in full bunker gear (firefighting suit) welcoming the children.
As they marched in a single file to negotiate the three flights of stairs to reach the centre, the children were buzzing with excitement.
They were then greeted by Bomba personnel who were equally excited and began distributing firefighter uniforms including boots for them to wear.
Once the children were all dressed in the firefighter uniform, officer Arahman Spiee began the session by asking the million-dollar question – “who wants to be a firefighter when they grow up?”
The children were taught knowledge and skills as well as provided the experience and exposure about fire safety, prevention and survival from six modules.
The six modules are namely what is fire; learn not to burn; good and bad fire; stop, drop and roll; get out and stay out; plan your drill and stay safe to teach children about fire prevention and safety.
Firefighters demonstrating how to handle the water hose to the children.
In addition to hands-on activities, the highlight of the visit was a tour of the firetrucks and firefighter water hose demonstration which the children thoroughly enjoyed.
For a group session like this, Arahman said there are usually three instructors conducting the session.
He said the department trains its personnel to conduct these sessions and they take careful consideration of the participants’ age group.
“For group consisting of kindergarten pupils, we would make it a fun and interactive session because children this age are playful. We want them to learn about fire safety and prevention, so the activities are very hands-on.
“If we were to give full lectures, it is not suitable. As such, it is important for us to make sure the session is fun while learning and fun with purpose,” he explained.
Arahman said they would receive two to three group visits in a week, depending on the number of requests.
He encouraged kindergartens and schools which are interested to educate their students on fire safety and prevention to submit a request to the department.
“We welcome any requests from kindergartens and schools interested to come over. We will do our best to accommodate these requests including hosting birthday parties,” he said.
On the challenges of handling children, Arahman said patience and passion is key in spreading the awareness of fire safety and prevention.
“I am grateful that all children who had spent time here left with big smiles on their faces and had a good time,” he said.
Meanwhile, Luth’s mother Nur Liyana Khirudin commended the department for allowing young children and students to gain awareness and exposure.
The 31-year-old entrepreneur said this will enable children to have knowledge and skills to take better care of themselves as well as their siblings.
She said this will inculcate a sense of independence and responsibility among young children.
“Luth knows how to take care of his younger sister, Freya Lunara – if he sees his sister going near a power socket or the stairs, he will remind her by saying ‘no’ or ‘cannot’.
“As parents, we are not going be able to be with our children every second and minute of the day, so it is important to educate them about safety,” she said.
At the same time, Nur Liyana said it allows Luth to learn his roots given that his grandfather is a firefighter.
She also said the exposure that young children get from their interactions with the firefighters gives good mileage to the department and its personnel.
She encouraged parents who are interested to host their children’s birthday and kindergartens to conduct a field trip here to go for it.
“The activities are interesting and interactive, so the children will not only have a good time but also learn valuable knowledge and skills,” she added.
