THUNDER BAY -- When a smoke alarms starts ringing, for many young children the first instinct is to run and hide.
Shane Ferguson wants to ensure instead the first thought that crosses their mind is to seek out a safe way out of danger.
Ferguson, the manager of the pre-service firefighter education program at Confederation College, is using a video game, called the Great Escape, to arm children between ages four and six with the knowledge they’ll need to survive when a fire breaks out.
On Saturday Ferguson, his students and firefighters from Oliver Paipoonge, as part of Fire Prevention Week, spent the afternoon at the Wendy’s restaurant on Memorial Avenue demonstrating the game and giving youngsters an opportunity to climb aboard an actual fire engine.
“It’s basically just teaching them how to get out of the house. It’s an interactive game. There is a character called the Fire Lobster.”
Ferguson said the inspiration behind the game was an attempted rescue he attempted to do about 18 years ago.
“I rescued a little five-year-old girl. She ended up passing away from smoke inhalation because she was hiding. We wanted to do something positive to teach children how to get out of the house.”
The game presents children with options, the right response and the wrong response in given fire situations.
Players choose the option they think is best. If it’s the correct one, they’ll move on to the next level. If it’s the incorrect answer, a funny consequence happens to the Fire Lobster and they’re given a second chance to make the right decision.
Not only does it help inform youngsters, it’s a teaching aid for his students as well, he said.
Once the message is delivered, children tend to remember, Ferguson added. And it works, he said.
“With the game at least it clicks a little bit and it actually has saved lives,” Ferguson said.
“That’s what’s important.”
