Baldwin Fire Department teaches fire safety

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Baldwin Fire Department Ladder 2 invited members of Hangout One Happy Place to teach them about fire safety at their firehouse last month.

Chief William Dworsak, Deputy Chief Michael Parise, and The Baldwin Fire Department Ladder 2 organized a field trip with One Happy Hangout Place — a non-profit organization for open to people of all abilities — at the Baldwin Fire Department North End Station at 1250 grand Ave. on Jan. 31.

Angela Lucas, founder of Hangout One Happy Place, said the fire department organized picked up members of Hangout One Happy Place outside of their facilities, at the South Baldwin Jewish Center, on one of the fire department’s busses and dropped them off at the North End Station.

“He made their dreams come true,” said Lucas. “The fire department made hangout members feels so included.”

Lucas said Baldwin firefighters, dressed in fire fighting gear, explained the use of their tools and gear to the hangout members before allowing them to try on the gear. Jerry Brown, a ladder 2 firefighter from Baldwin, gave the hangout members a lesson on fire safety, where they learned how to stop drop and roll and the best actions to take in a fire.

“It was our pleasure to have Hangout One happy Place in our firehouse,” said Brown. “It is one of my favorite groups to exchange fire safety with and the group enjoyed a learning experience.”

The Fire Department’s medics also gathered at the firehouse in their ambulance, where members of the hangout had the chance to explore the ambulance and learn about the best practices in a medical emergency.

“It was really interesting,” said Rishab Dhanjal, Hangout One Happy Place member. “We put on fire helmets and coats, and it was awesome to hang out in the lounge.”

Lucas said they then got to relax in the fire department’s lounge, before heading to lunch at McDonalds across the street. After a shared meal, the fire department dropped off the members of the Hangout at their facility, where they created a large thank you sign for the fire department.