Local Paramedic's Gentle St. Bernard Steals The Show At School Event

By BILL JONES

Staff Writer

Maddie, a huge, but gentle, St. Bernard dog and her handler, Greene County Paramedic Len Casey, are helping Greene County elementary school students learn important fire-safety information.

During a Tuesday afternoon stop at Doak Elementary School, Maddie, the four-year-old St. Bernard whom Casey describes as the "work horse" of his four-dog troop, was the center of attention for the school's 630 students.

Casey, a former Bristol, Tenn., firefighter, who now teams with Emergency Medical Technician Matthew Solomon at Greeneville-Greene County Emergency Medical Services, said after the program that he had been using St. Bernards to help deliver his fire safety message to students since 2003.

He said he chose to use St. Bernards in the programs he presents in his off time, because of their "laid back" nature. A St. Bernard, he said, would "hold a flashlight for a burglar."

Baby, Maddie's one-year-old puppy also put in an appearance at the end of the program during a session in which students were invited to pet the dogs as the students left the gymnasium.

At the outset of his program in the gymnasium at Doak Elementary, Casey told students that he was sure they would pay "a lot more attention" to Maddie than they would to him.

He pointed out that Maddie "gets paid for everything she does" with small, meaty treats.

During the program, Maddie carried out a series of tasks, including retrieving a telephone handset for Casey and rolling on the floor to illustrate how to put out a clothing fire.

Fire Danger Explained

At the outset of his presentation, Casey told the Doak Elementary students that each year some 800 children between the ages of 5 and 15 die in fires.

He noted that while Tennessee ranks 17th in population among the 50 U.S. states, it ranks fourth in terms of annual fire deaths. "That's way too high," he said.

Noting that he had been a longtime firefighter, Casey told the students that in four out of five fatal house fires, the home did not have a working smoke detector.

Casey urged the students to remind their parents to replace the batteries in their smoke detectors twice a year. He noted that he personally replaces the batteries in his smoke detectors on January 1 and July 4 because those dates are easy to remember.

Beware In Kitchen

While discussing fire extinguishers, Casey told the students that the "number one cause of fires," is cooking.

As a result, he said, a home fire-extinguisher should be kept in the kitchen.

Casey reminded students not to attempt to use fire extinguishers themselves and to immediately exit their homes in the event of fire.

However, he noted, the leading cause of fire deaths is "smoking."

Most fire deaths, Casey told the students, take place between the hours of 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. when most residents are in bed asleep.

He also told the students that, in the event their homes catch fire, they should not be afraid of firefighters who come to rescue them.

'Scary' Clothing

He noted that the protective clothing firefighters wear may appear "scary," but that firefighters are only coming assist them.

During the program, Casey put on a full set of protective clothing, including a self-contained breathing apparatus, and went into the stands to let students become acquainted with the clothing.

He urged the students never to hide in the event a fire breaks out inside their homes and to always call out for help to responding firefighters.

Make Escape Plan

He also showed the students how to make an escape plan for their homes, and urged them to practice escaping a burning home with their families.

An important part of such a plan, he said, is to establish a meeting place outside the home where all family members can gather after escaping the house.

Under no circumstances, Casey told the students, should they ever re-enter a burning house after escaping from it.

"There is a 90-percent chance you won't get out again if you go back into the house [during a fire]," he told the students.

After the program, Doak Elementary students filed past, and petted Maddie and her puppy, Baby, who is actually taller and longer than his mother, as the two dogs lay placidly on the gymnasium floor.

More information about fire safety, and other programs, provided by Casey's company company, FSM Solutions, is available from its Web site at www.firesafetydog.com.