OHS AgEd students complete fire safety workshop

In an effort to provide agricultural education students with experiences that have practical implications, several students recently completed a fire safety workshop provided through Green County Technology Center at the AgEd Building. About 35 students in grades 9 through 12 participated in a workshop and fire extinguisher safety demonstration conducted by Kirk Sohl, adjunct safety instructor for Green Country Technology Center Workforce & Economic Development Department (WED) on Jan. 24.

After an in-class safety training session, students went outside and practiced the PASS (Pull, Aim, Squeeze, and Sweep) method for fire extinguishers on a fire simulator. The method refers to the steps in using a fire extinguisher: pull the safety pin, aim the hose at the base of the fire, squeeze the extinguisher handle to discharge the material, and sweep the hose across the base of the fire from side to side. The fire simulator, which had a propane-fuel flame, allowed students to put these safety skills into practice in a no-risk environment under the supervision of the safety instructor.

“Now I know how to use a fire extinguisher – just in case,” Kyle Schweigert, an Okmulgee High School freshman AgEd student said. “The workshop was interesting because we got to do what we learned in class, and I feel like this is a skill that everyone should know in the event of an emergency either at home or at school.”

The workshop was offered to the AgEd students enrolled in the Introduction to Agriscience and Agricultural Power & Technology Classes as part of their shop safety curriculum which includes personal protective equipment and basic welding and woodworking skills.

More information about the Okmulgee Agricultural Education program and the Okmulgee FFA chapter can be found on the FFA chapter’s Facebook (facebook.com/okmulgeeffa) or Instagram pages (@OkmulgeeFFA).