Boothbay Region Elementary School pre-kindergarten, kindergarten and grades one and two welcomed special guests Oct. 11. The Boothbay and Boothbay Harbor fire departments made their annual visit promoting fire safety. For Boothbay Chief Dick Spofford, it was another opportunity to introduce firefighters to young elementary school students. “For me, this makes over 20 times I’ve been here for fire safety,” he said. “This introduces young students to firemen so they won’t be afraid. When they are fully equipped with a mask and a tank, they can be scary. We want to teach them that firemen are there to help them, not be afraid,” he said.

On Tuesday morning, Spofford, Lt. Chantelle Arsenault and fireman Tyler Lowery introduced themselves to BRES students in the classroom. Arsenault demonstrated how firefighters dress in protective gear and how each piece worked. Spofford narrated what Arsenault did, and Lowery assisted. 

“You know these kids already know a lot and ask a lot of really good questions,” Spofford said. “Another important part of the demonstration is teaching them about the importance of smoke detectors. They are extremely important. You just got to have them in the house.” 

After the inside visit, students exited the classroom to explore fire trucks from Boothbay and Boothbay Harbor. While exiting, students were greeted by another special guest. “Sparky, our mascot, is a kid favorite. We can’t bring him into the classroom because once the kids see him, it’s all over,” he said.