Firehouse fun

Matheny student Mohammed Ayman Hosain and teaching assistant Glenn Wey.

Matheny School students made their annual visit to the Peapack-Gladstone Fire Department, and this year school staff created a scavenger hunt with 13 questions relating to fire safety and prevention. “The students would identify key vocabulary answers,” explains Jim Hintenach, supervisor of elementary education, “and then locate the manipulative item in the firehouse.” Once the item was found, students would stamp a checklist, and when it was completed, they got a chance to spray the hose with volunteer firemen Ed Badger and Kevin Fagan.

The fire department visit is an example of how skills and behaviors learned in the classroom are practiced and used during interactive trips to various community resources.

Firefighter Thom Ross and teaching assistant Joanna Alfone help student Ryan O’Connor handle the fire hose.

“How long does it take to get into your gear?” “How long is the fire hose?” “Who gets to hold the hose?”

Those were just some of the questions posed by Matheny School students to volunteer firefighters during the students’ annual visit to the Peapack-Gladstone Fire Department. It was a fun afternoon, but it was also a learning experience as the students became more knowledgeable about all the equipment and the firefighters’ responsibilities.

The Fire Department visit is an example of how skills and behaviors learned in the classroom are practiced and used during interactive trips to various community resources. The Matheny School students and staff members were very appreciative that the P-G volunteer firefighters took time out from their normal schedules to spend some time with them.