As part of the 90th annual Fire Prevention Week, Ocala Fire Rescue visited with schoolchildren Tuesday to provide them with important tips for emergency fire situations.
Marvin Davis, an Ocala Fire Rescue captain, said that school visits like Tuesday's help children get more comfortable with firefighters, who could seem intimidating while dressed in full protective gear.
There are "a couple things we really want to instill in the children, and that is to always find two ways out of a home and also that every second counts,” he said.
Davis said it is vital for kids to know these things as soon as they can talk.
Dawana Gary, principal of Dr. N. H. Jones Elementary School, which firefighters visited Tuesday, said her students, including her daughter, became more equipped for home emergencies through the visit.
"My daughter was ... getting that important lesson from our fire department as to what to do in an emergency situation,” Gary said. “So I do expect her to come home today and ask me questions like, ‘Mommy, where is that fire evacuation route?’”
Ocala Fire Rescue is offering to go to any additional Ocala schools that request a visit.