KFD applies for grant to purchase smoke trailer

Left: Lt. Jerry Willis helps headstart students, at the DAEOC Headstart, escape the smoke trailer as it feels with "smoke" created with a fog machine. The smoke trailer was borrowed from the Poplar Bluff Fire Department last week to provide education to children in the area.

Staff photo by Joshua Payne

Currently, the department borrows the Poplar Bluff Fire Department's smoke trailer, but sometimes finds conflict with scheduling, according to Fire Chief John Mallott.

According to Mallott, the Kennett Fire Department will be looking for a single story model for its own purposes. The Poplar Bluff Fire Department's trailer is a double story, but Mallott says this leads to issues with kids having to come down steps, out a window, or down a ladder to escape the smoke.

The model the local fire department will utilize, if received through the grant, will be a 35 to 39-foot single story model, with the front room having bleacher seating, according to Mallott. He added that the model would have a mock kitchen and living room.

Mallott said that the department would cover various subjects of safety to include kitchen safety, with pots and pans on not getting scalded or burned, along with fireplace safety, storm ready education, and educational activities regarding responding to smoke in the home.

The storm ready feature shows a cartoon on a television in the front room and throughout the showing alerts pop up over the show, according to Mallott. As the weather alerts progresses, strobe lights and a sound system are used to recreate the effects of lightening and thunder, Mallott noted.

In the bedroom portion of the trailer, the children are educated on smoke detector sounds when sleeping and different fire safety features, such as feeling a door for heat before opening, according to Mallott.

"This teaches kids response in different emergencies," Mallott explained.

In addition to the above mentioned activities, the local fire department would also use the trailer for rehabilitation services. Mallott noted that the rooftop heater and air conditioner could be used by the department during the event of a large fire in extreme weather conditions.

"On a 90 degree day with a large fire and firefighters worn out, we could get them in and evaluate and rehab them," Mallott said.

He added that the trailer would work the same way in winter to assure no one is chilled too much or suffers from frostbite.

The grant for which the department has applied is a five percent matching grant, but Mallott noted that several individuals, businesses, and agencies have shown interest in donating funds to help with the five percent.

The department will not be notified on the decision on the grant application for another four to six months, according to Mallott.