Central Coast Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) firefighters discovered a young fire safety champion moments after they saved her family’s home from ruins.
The Doyalson brigade was called to a home at Blue Haven after a small fire broke out on a kitchen stovetop before spreading to the range hood at around 7.30pm on Saturday, March 16.
Firefighters quickly extinguished the fire, preventing it from moving into both a roof void and wall cavity and then replaced a smoke alarm after noticing it was dangling from the ceiling and not working.
As the fire crew was about to leave the home, the owners’ three-year-old daughter, Mia, pulled aside Station Officer Dirk Ziekenheiner and asked him to read her some books.
He obliged and quickly realised the youngster was well-versed in fire safety, sharing some lessons she had previously received from her parents.
Mia correctly spoke about calling Triple-Zero (000) in an emergency, how to escape a fire and the importance of staying outside once you have evacuated from a building where fire has broken out.
Ziekenheiner congratulated Mia’s family for instilling fire safety into her from a young age and urged other parents to do the same with their own children.
“Knowing what to do in a fire can sometimes spell the difference between life and death, which is why it’s critical everyone knows how to protect themselves and their loved ones,” he said.
“I was blown away by how much knowledge Mia and her family had – they’re clearly heeding our fire safety messages and prioritising their survival.
“Our firefighters urge others to educate their own families on fire safety and remind them there are age-appropriate resources available if they need help doing so.”
Mia’s father said his daughter was very excited to meet her firefighting heroes despite the circumstances.
“Mia watches a lot of children’s TV shows which feature firefighters so she already knows they’re heroes and they rescue people,” he said.
“Having now seen first-hand the great work they do, we’ll continue to spread the word about fire safety and we encourage others to do the same.
“Our family never thought we’d come this close to losing our home to fire, so the key is to not be complacent about the risks.”
More information is available at https://www.fire.nsw.gov.au/page.php?id=71 and https://brigadekids.com/