Canyon Springs Students Learn How to Put Out a Fire

Time is of the essence when fire erupts, because it spreads quickly and fire extinguishers don’t last long. That means you need to know where the nearest extinguisher is, how to get if off the wall and how to use it the right way, because you only have a 20-second chance to use it to douse the flames. Students at Canyon Springs High School now know all that and more after two days of training from Moreno Valley firefighters. “Fire is more common than we tend to think,” said Industrial Technology teacher Andrew Wahe, who arranged for the training. “We found that about five percent of our students in our Industrial Tech classes had already experienced fire in their homes. With this training, they’re now much less likely to panic, and much more able to put out fire safely and quickly.” Wahe asked each of those students to relate their fire experiences to their classmates, and most involved stories of panic and confusion. Over the course of two days, Industrial Technology (Auto Tech, Graphics Tech and Construction and Wood Tech) students learned basic fire science – the chemical nature of fire, what starts it, how it spreads and what puts it out – and how to stay calm and effectively use a fire extinguisher. Because, despite the fact that extinguishers are available in almost every public building and business and many homes, almost no one has ever used one. “Students were surprised to learn that extinguishers only work for about 20 seconds,” said Wahe. “So it’s not enough just to squeeze the handle and make it spray. It has to be aimed at the right place, down low, to put out a fire.” Firefighters explained that most people waste time and foam by aiming for the flames when they should be directing the foam lower, at the source of the flames, where fire first erupts from its fuel. Using technology, they gave each student a chance to aim and “spray” a laser-based extinguisher at a simulated fire that was put out only when the laser hit the fire at its source for enough time. “It’s one thing to hear someone talk about it, but it becomes really memorable when they get a chance to do it,” said Wahe about the exercise. “Now they know how to put out fire and they have the confidence to do it.”