One of the first nuggets of wisdom imparted on the developing minds of small children is the proper way to stay out of harm's way in the event of close proximity to a fire. You'll remember that three-word order of conduct should you find yourself in a fire crisis: stop, drop, and roll.
But inventing new means of turning this instruction into action requires a little creativity — that's where the Kasey Program comes in.
The Kasey Program was established in 1995 by Jeff Owens for the express purpose of teaching children about fire safety with the help of black labradors. The program covers the typical stop, drop, and roll maneuvers, crawling below the threshold of smoke in a burning building, and how to know if a door nob is too hot to touch. Most of their schoolchildren vary in age from preschool to 6th grade.
"I know what that is like and how traumatizing it is to the firefighters," Owens tells USA Today in response to the work required of firefighters, "and if I can prevent that from happening, let alone the trauma that's sustained by the families. That's really what drives me to go out and teach."
The Kasey Program and its labs have been credited with saving 15 lives.
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