The "survive alive" trailer

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Kristoffer Kaubisch
  • Minot Air Force Base Public Affairs
MINOT AIR FORCE BASE, N.D. --  The Minot Air Force Base Fire Protection flight trains diligently on a day to day basis to be ready for any fire or fire related emergencies that might come up.

Not only are they training regularly, they are also teaching adults and young children about fire safety.
A new way they are teaching fire safety is with their new fire safety trailer, or as they call it, the survive alive trailer. 

"The trailer is really nice. Some of the other bases will have trailers with a bedroom or kitchen setup, but this is pretty rare to have both in one trailer," said Staff Sgt. Shawn Cantrell, 5th Civil Engineer Squadron fire protection station captain. "It takes the wing to purchase something like this. Local fire departments don't usually have the funding for something like this, but the wing wanted to buy something big for us."
The trailers purpose is to replicate situations in a real life situation and helps teach kids and adults fire safety.

There are 2 sides to the trailer, a 14 and under side, which is a bedroom, where children are taught evacuation drills, what to do if there is smoke or fire and how to exit the home. Then there is a kitchen side, which has a stove and other kitchen appliances that will simulate fire and put off simulated smoke. This teaches children and adults over the age of 14 how to properly use a fire extinguisher and what to do in case of a fire in the kitchen; 80% of house fires start in the kitchen.

"The Occupational Safety and Health Administration recommend that fire fighters do not teach children under the age of 14 how to use a fire extinguisher," Cantrell said.

Minot received the trailer in April of 2015 and has been using it during many events on base, such as the Heroes in Training event that was held for children last month.

"We take it everywhere," Cantrell said. "With our missile wing mission, we have 22 mutual aid partners; we will take the trailer out to their cities or towns when they are doing fire prevention week."

Fire prevention week on Minot AFB starts Oct. 3, 2015 and the fire safety trailer will be used to help promote fire safety to the base populous.