Gloucester Volunteer Fire and Rescue Squad’s Fire Prevention Officer Lt. Tony Villani and Assistant Fire Prevention Officer Tony Saccaro, are willing to go the extra mile to teach Gloucester residents how to prevent fires. But they also work to make sure residents, especially children, are prepared to react if a fire does occur.

Villani and Saccaro encourage teachers to bring their classes by Station 1 on Main Street to see the fire trucks up close and to learn about the equipment and about what they should do in case of fire. If a visit to the firehouse isn’t possible, they’ll take a fire truck to the school. The children practice dialing 911 and reporting trouble, learn what to do when a smoke or carbon dioxide detector goes off, and are taught the importance of having an evacuation plan in case of fire.

In addition, the children are shown how to use a fire extinguisher (if the school supplies one), learn how to “stay low and go” while escaping a fire, and practice how to “sto...