Studying Up on Fire Safety at People First!
This month’s People First meeting was a fantastic opportunity for attendees to learn more about fire safety, directly from West Metro Fire Rescue!
People First is a monthly meeting of self-advocates that convenes at The Arc’s office, with the goal that members will support each other in further developing their self-advocacy skills. This year, the group has begun an effort to hold several practical trainings during their meetings. The first training, a fire safety training, took place at the January 8 meeting.
Members of the group brainstormed the topic for the training, and People First president Molly Kirkham contacted West Metro Fire to organize the presentation.
About 10 individuals attended the training, where presenters from West Metro Fire covered “fall prevention, fire safety, and the most common types of fires—cooking, bad electrical cords,” explained Jessica Shouse, The Arc’s Director of Teen & Young Adult Advocacy.
Members also could choose to participate in a fire simulation in which they used a demo fire extinguisher to put out a virtual fire. Additionally, West Metro Fire left resources and information for attendees to take home.
“The members asked lots of really good questions,” Jessica said. “We all learned from the presentation.”
In the future, the group plans to host additional trainings on other topics. Stay tuned!
Want to join People First? Swing by one of the group’s monthly meetings! People First meets on the first Wednesday of each month from 5:30pm-6:30pm, with the next meeting scheduled for February 5. Meetings take place at The Arc’s office, 13949 W. Colfax Ave., Suite 102, Lakewood, CO 80401. Learn more about People First here.
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