Firefighters Promote Reading in Idaho Elementary Schools

Idaho Falls–Shayne Saari perched at the edge of a stool draped with a bulky firefighter’s coat.

He wore a blue button-up shirt, red suspenders and scuffed boots as he read to a group of youngsters who hung on his every word Thursday afternoon at Theresa Bunker Elementary School in Idaho Falls.

The third-grade students responded with comments such as “Wow,” “Oh my heck” and “What’s a bunk bed?” as Saari thumbed through a collection of picture books, each describing life as a firefighter.

“I want you to raise your hand if you felt you were in the book with me,” Saari said after finishing a tale about a busy firefighter named Big Frank.

Dozens of hands shot up throughout the cramped classroom.

“That’s the power of reading,” he said. “Isn’t that neat?”

Each year, firefighters from the Idaho Falls Fire Department visit local schools to promote reading through the Blazing a Trail to Literacy program.

Idaho Falls Fire Department Capt. Jeff Parsons established the program to encourage education and build community relationships.

“It’s a pretty powerful thing to have a firefighter show up in uniform and read to the class,” Parsons said. “They love it. The kids always have a lot of questions about how we live and about our work life.”

Third-grade students Rebekah Desmond and Tayden Towers said they each enjoyed listening to Saari, quizzing him on day-to-day tasks and learning about fire safety.

“My favorite part was getting to see the fireman again,” Tayden said. “He would teach you to check your smoke alarm because if you don’t check it, it probably won’t work right, and if you don’t hear it, you’ll be in trouble.”

Helping students understand precautionary steps to prevent fires, such as regularly inspecting the smoke alarm, is one of the program’s major components.

Parsons said he hopes students will take the fire safety tips learned at school and pass them along to parents and family members.

While reading books and discussing fires, students learned that fighting fires isn’t always easy or safe. Even firefighters have to take certain precautions, such as wearing protective clothing, working in teams and learning to use equipment.

When asked whether he ever got scared while fighting fires, Saari quickly shook his head.

“No. Sometimes I’m a little nervous, but I never get scared,” he said. “You rely on your training. That’s why it’s important to be able to read and learn.”