A trio of firefighters are taking Chatham-Kent Fire and Emergency Service's public education program a step further.
The CHIRP (Chatham-Kent Homes: Informed, Ready and Protected) initiative sees firefighters leaving friendly reminders on residents doors, encouraging them to get keep their smoke and CO detectors checked regularly.
Chatham resident Aimee Raspburg recently told BlackburnNews.com a number of firefighters gave them a tour of their fire truck when they visited her home. She says her three children are still talking about the experience almost a week later.
Those firefighters, Scott Hammond, Derek Resendes and Jon Benoit, work at the fire station on Chatham's Sandys St.
"It seems like all kids love the big red truck," says Resendes. "We have kids come and visit all the time. Parents love it too, they get a grasp of the equipment and what we do, and they get to see it up close and personal and not just see the truck go by."
"You get to show the kids the trucks and all our gear," adds Benoit. "It kind of shows them what we look like, we look a lot different when we have our stuff on and are all bundled up."
As it turns out, this is a practice that these firefighters, and others, do anyway.
"It's something we do all the time, whether its at a call, or a false alarm or out in public," says Acting Captain Hammond. "We like to mingle with the kids, talk to the parents, and just promote fire safety,"
Below you can find a picture of the three firefighters, along with Raspburg's three children, Madisyn Samantha and Jase.
(L to R) Acting Captain Scott Hammond, as well as firefighters Jon Benoit and Derek Resendes with Chatham-Kent residents, August 9, 2016 (Photo courtesy of Chris Pidgeon)