Check It Out

No.210 (4/27/12)

Fire Drill at the Fun and Learning Center

By Nao H. Kauffman
Chief Editor

The director of Misawa Access Publications (MAP), Ryo Mizushiri, organizes the local informative English newspaper, "The Insider" and a pre-school Day Care, "Fun and Learning Center" (FLC) at Misawa City's new community building called the Sky Plaza Misawa right outside the Main Gate and the offices are on the third floor. The director, Mr. Mizushiri, is willing to support the relations between the Japanese local community and the Misawa Base and tries to associate with Misawa's globalization and community vitalization. The Fun and Learning Center is open from Monday through Friday except on American or military holidays. On March 29th, the center had a few volunteer guest speakers from the Base Fire Department arranged by a motivated teacher, Crystal Friedli. The FLC students learned the three lifesaving steps (Stop, Drop, and Roll) if their clothes catch on fire. They watched a video and learned some important information if a fire occurs and actually got to touched the fire fighters equipment and tools. A great character Sparky, from the video, showed up and encouraged the students to focus on practicing the three steps mentioned above. After that, the center practiced an actual fire drill and reminded the students to be more prepared for an emergency. They also learned how to behave in a fire situation and what to do in case they get any burns. The students even did some coloring activities and paper crafts of fire engines. There are many people from Misawa Base, who go off base and experience living in Japan and may encounter inconvenient situations due to the language differences. Therefore, the director, Mr. Mizushiri, is keen to provide a comfortable environment and valuable opportunities as much as possible. Friendly and experienced staff supports him in order to create a wonderful setting for the students and their parents. The center is planning to open up a booth at the upcoming American Day in Misawa City. Please bring your children to have fun at the bouncy house in the front area of our building, do some crafts, enjoy a tour of the center and get to know us better. Three Lifesaving Steps If your clothes catch on fire it can spread very quickly, engulfing the victim in flames. Certain types of clothing, especially synthetic fabrics, may melt and stick to the skin. The best way to reduce injury from the flames is to extinguish the burning fabric as quickly as possible. To put out burning clothing, take these three steps: 1. Stop Don't run or wave your arms. Movement will fan the flames and cause the burns to be more severe. 2. Drop Get on the ground quickly and cover your face with your hands. 3. Roll Try to smother the flames by rolling over and over. Pay attention to what's burning and focus on putting out that area of your body. It's helpful to roll up into a rug or thick, nonflammable material (such as tent canvas) to help smother the flames. Don't roll into a thin blanket, sheet or plastic because you may accidentally catch that material on fire also.

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