Fire Pal Program

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The Goodyear Fire Department is always ready to help those in need. In addition to emergency response the fire department also supports community education. The Community Risk Reduction - Education Division is the education arm of the Goodyear Fire Department.

The Education team believes most injuries are preventable. This belief drives our efforts to make the community a safer place so that children and their families do not suffer harm unnecessarily. We aim to make the community safer by raising awareness and promoting safety in all aspects of a person’s life.

Our school education programs are one way we strive to make the community a safer place for children. Simply put, our education programs teach fire and life safety messages to children. Listed below are the details of these various school programs as well as additional information. We hope you join us in supporting our program and improving the safety of our children.

The Goodyear Fire Department is passionate about community safety

Fire Pal Program (K-5th grade)

Fire Pal Program

The Fire Pal Program has been in existence since 1994 and uses school presentations to teach about fire and life safety. The Fire Pal Program currently teaches children from Kindergarten through 5th grade. The topics we cover include transportation safety (i.e. helmets, walking, seat belts), fire safety (i.e. smoke alarms, 9-1-1, home escape plans), and water safety (i.e. swimming, life jackets,adult supervision). We are able to offer other programs on request. For example, we have provided gun safety and bullying lessons in the past.

While these safety messages can begin with us, it is a community effort. Unfortunately, children often have limitations in promoting their own safety. They need adults close to them to assist with and encourage safety practices. To this end, the Fire Pal Program connects our staff with students, teachers, and parents by teaching them the importance of educating the next generation with life safety skills. Contact the Community Risk Reduction - Education Coordinator at 623-882-7308 or by email for more information.

Preschool Programs

Preschool Program

The Community Education team also goes to preschools to teach important fire and life safety messages. We tailor these messages for a smaller group to introduce young children to fire and life safety. While the Fire Pals are always happy to visit, a program that offers reinforcement for preschoolers is always a good idea. Luckily, there are numerous programs that offer excellent tools to help teach young children all about fire and life safety. Some of these tools include:

Learn Not to Burn: This excellent program can be downloaded for free from the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) website. This program was created in "1991 to address the high risks children under the age of five face in regards to fatal home fires. The updated program integrates literacy, movement, music, and dramatic play to provide a developmentally appropriate learning experience for preschool-aged children."

Sparky Games and Activities: This site is also a resource from the NFPA. This site offers interactive web games for children and downloadable activities that can be completed in class. Children can learn about fire and life safety messages in an effective and fun way with this website.

Helmet Safety

Wear your helmet!

In this lesson we focus on the importance of wearing a helmet every time you ride a bike, skateboard, scooter and anything else with wheels. On this page you will find important information about helmets as well as great links for you and the students. If you want to contact us directly, you can email us and one of our Fire Pals will get back to you as soon as we can.

The Lesson

Below you will find some brief information on what we discuss in the school. This covers the basic lessons we teach, handouts we give out, and additional links for children and parents.

What we teach

It is important to understand what a helmet does and how they protect our heads. In short, a helmet protects your brain by spreading out the impact. This includes:

What the brain controls in your body
How helmets protected the melon (See the video below)
How to properly wear a helmet

Parent letter

The Goodyear Fire Pals want to make sure that the lessons we teach do not end at the school. To that end, we send home a parent letter. If you haven't seen it, you can view it at the link below:

Parent Letter

Resources

There are a lot of awesome materials for adults and students alike to learn from outside of our Fire Pal Presentations. Here you will find fun videos, fun games, and a host of educational information.

Videos and Games

Educational Resources
- CDC Helmet Page
- Safe Kids Worldwide Helmet Page

Seat Belt Safety

Fire Pal - Seat Belt Safety

Buckle up each and every time you ride in a vehicle.

This page will focus on the importance of having children ride in the back seat and using a booster seat if needed.

Traffic-related injuries are the leading cause of all injury deaths in America. Every nine seconds, someone is injured in a traffic crash and every 13 minutes someone is killed. Many of the injuries and deaths could have been prevented by making sure that ALL people riding in a vehicle are wearing a seat belt properly.

If you want to contact us directly, you can email us and one of your Fire Pals will get back to you as soon as we can.

The Lesson

Below you will find some brief information on what we discuss in the schools. This covers the basic lessons we teach, handouts we use, and additional links for the age appropriate power-point lessons.

What We Teach

It is important that our seat belt fits properly. Lap belt fit – The lap belt should lie flat and on top of the thighs, not higher up on the abdomen. Shoulder belt fit – The shoulder belt should fit across the middle of the shoulder. If it falls off the shoulder or rests on the neck, it will not work as well and could be dangerous. Never place the belt in a dangerous position, such as behind the back or under the arm.

ALWAYS wear a seat belt every trip, every time
Riding in the back seat is safest, away from the airbag
A booster seat is required if the child is not at least 4'9" tall
No one should ever ride in the back of a truck bed

Resources

Attached are the power-point presentations that you can view with your children. Also, links for update to date information from National Safety Council and National Highway Transportation Safety Association (NHTSA).

Fire Pal lessons

Educational Resources
- National Safety Council - Child Passenger Safety
- National Highway Transportation Safety - Parents and Caregivers

A B C's of Water Safety

A B C's of water safety

This water safety lesson focuses on the importance of knowing the A B C's of water safety. Remember that the first line of defense is adult supervision. That goes for people of all ages! On this page you will find important information on how to keep the whole family safe around water.

The Lesson

Below you will find some brief information on what we discuss during our lessons in the school. This covers the basic lessons we teach, handouts we give out, and additional links for the age appropriate power-point lessons.

What We Teach

It is important to understand the A B C’s of water safety. Drowning is 100% preventable if we follow these simple guidelines.

A- Adult Supervision- Around any water source, designate one responsible adult who is dedicated to watching anyone (no matter the age) around water. The "Water Watcher" should have a whistle or ribbon, something to remind themselves they are responsible for the safety of anyone in the water. This also means no drinking alcohol, talking on the phone or texting
B- Barriers to water- Barriers are layers of protection used to keep children and pets from gaining access to water.
- Fence around a pool with a self-closing self-latching gate
- Locking doors where children can not access the lock
- Closed lid on a toilet, plus a closed door leading to the bathroom
C- Classes for Swimming and CPR- Everyone needs to learn how to swim. Starting at a young age, children can learn how to swim and how to help themselves in case of an emergency. Take a refresher course if you are not a strong swimmer. Sign up for a CPR class. There are new techniques to help save a child or adult from drowning. See the links below for swim and CPR lessons that are available in our community.
C - Coast Guard approved life vest or jacket. Open water and pool drownings can happen quickly and are silent. Wearing a US Coast Guard approved life jacket keeps the head above water. Never rely on anything that you blow air into for example, arm floaties for water safety devices.

Resources

Community Risk Reduction- Education Email Goodyear Fire Pal

Goodyear Fire does not endorse any services listed.

Fire Pal lessons
- Stewie The Duck Learns To Swim
Swim Lessons
- City of Goodyear - Recreation
CPR Training/Information
State and National Resources
- Drowning Prevention Coalition of Arizona

Fire Pal - Respect the Water

This water safety lesson focuses on the importance of water in our lives. We need water to survive. Water can be dangerous as well, if we do not follow the water safety rules. On this page you will find important information on how to keep the whole family safe around water.

If you want to contact us directly, you can email us and one of your Fire Pals will get back to you as soon as we can.

The Lesson

Below you will find some brief information that we present in the school. This covers the basic lessons we teach, handouts we give, and additional links for resources.

What We Teach

Knowing how important water is to the human body and to the environment helps us to respect water and its power. Below are some bullet points we discuss.
Water is the basis of life. Our bodies require water to help essential functions occur. A person can go weeks without food and still live, but as a general rule of thumb, a person can only survive without water for about 3 days.
Storms like we experience in the summer are called Monsoons. They bring lightning, thunder, dust and rain. These can be dangerous if we are outside. You can calculate how far away a storm is by doing a simple math equation. When you see lightning, count the seconds until you hear the thunder. Take that number and divide it by five. That will let you know how many miles away the storm is.
Flash floods happen when the amount of rain or water released cannot be absorbed by the soil and water runs off to low spots very quickly. We learned that it only takes 12 inches of fast-moving flood water to move a vehicle, and 6 inches to move a person. Always abide by posted signage and never drive into a flooded area.
Arizona has many lakes and rivers to explore. We must remember to always wear United States Coast Guard(USCG) approved life jacket or vest when out in open water, this is the law for anybody under the age of 17.
Open water and pool drownings can happen quickly and are silent. Wearing a USCG approved life jacket keeps the head above water. Never rely on anything that you blow air into, such as arm floaties for water safety devices.
If there is a problem around any form of water, try to stay calm. Never jump into the water to help a person. Throw something that floats to hang on to. Call 9-1-1 for help. Once the person is out of the water and if not breathing, start CPR immediately.

Resources

Attached is the narration power-point presentation of Stewie the Duck Learns to Swim. This lesson is presented to preschool through first grade students. The second two power-points are presented to second to fifth grade students. Goodyear Fire does not endorse any services listed.

Fire Pal lessons
Swim Lessons
- City of Goodyear - Recreation
State Resources