HANCEVILLE, Ala. – The Hanceville Fire and Police Department’s with the Cullman Air Evac team visited the Hanceville Library on Wednesday during their Summer Reading Program to tell them about some of the services they provide and show them their equipment and emergency vehicles.
Firefighter Jim Kincaid demonstrated how he puts on his gear and let the kids see how he looked up close in uniform so that they wouldn’t be afraid to come to him or another firefighter in case of a fire. Kincaid said the uniform weighed about 50 pounds and is even heavier if it gets wet. He normally has 90 seconds to put on all gear. After putting on his multiple layers, he said, “This gets really hot, especially if someone’s house is on fire.”
He quizzed the kids on fire safety asking, “What number do you call in case of emergency,” and “What do you do if you catch on fire?” to which the kids easily answered “911,” and “Stop, drop, and roll.” He also told them that in the event their house catches fire, “I want you to crawl as fast as you can and as low as you can. Don’t stand up because the smoke is going to be really hot.”
After Kincaid’s demonstration, the kids went outside to see the emergency vehicles starting with the Air Evac team’s helicopter. Nurse Barry Lawson told the group, “We pretty much fly around a little emergency room. We have everything you can think of-every drug you can think of. We handle every situation based on what we have for equipment—ventilators, cardiac monitors, all kinds of stuff. Not only are there ambulances that have paramedics, but you have helicopters that have paramedics and nurses that work on patients too.”
The crowd got to see the Hanceville Police Department’s Humvee and learn about some of the vehicle’s history and uses from Officer Abdo Amer, who explained, “If an officer was injured, you could utilize this vehicle as an approach to do recovery by having the doors open and utilizing the Israeli armor or you could have the doors closed and have them behind it. They can make their approach, move past the officer, get him in the back, then back up.” In the event of flash flooding, the Humvee would also be used.
After everyone’s presentations, the crowd applauded the local heroes who gave the kids some relief from the over 90-degree weather, letting them play in the water spray from the firetruck. Librarian Shirley Burden then treated everyone to snacks and juice in the library’s reading garden where they discussed everything they had learned.
The next session in the Summer Reading Program will be on June 29 with Library Board member Kathy Bradford hosting ocean-themed readings and art.
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