Head Start honors KCFR

COEUR d'ALENE - Kootenai County Fire and Rescue was honored by the Region 10 Head Start Association earlier this month, but the fire and rescue agency's representatives say it's their collaboration with North Idaho College Head Start that should be in the spotlight.

"It's the truest sense of the community partnership," said Jim Lyon, Kootenai County Fire and Rescue's public education specialist. "What's so neat about Head Start, one they're phenomenally dedicated, and through them we've been able to work with some of the toughest situations so we can help families realize they have the ability to have safe homes."

Kootenai County Fire and Rescue received Head Start's regional Corporate Award, and was selected from candidates from throughout Idaho, Washington, Alaska and Oregon.

"With my younger daughter, now she's in first grade, she knows exactly who 'Firefighter Jim' is," said LaTanya Worley, a former Head Start parent who is now in charge of facilities and operations at the Post Falls center. "From that, she's learned the importance of 911, fire safety, stop-drop and roll, how to get out of houses when they are full of smoke."

Beth Ann Fuller, director of North Idaho College's Head Start program, said Kootenai County Fire and Rescue provides educational programs tailored to their 3- and 4-year-old children, often bringing the "smoke house" so kids can learn exactly what to do through role-playing.

Fuller said one of the most important pieces of what Kootenai County Fire and Rescue does when working with the kids is teach them not to fear someone who is there to help them.

"They learn, here is what a firefighter looks like, and these are the sounds that you'll hear. They might sound a little scary," Fuller said. "Some kids are still a little intimidated even when they've been prompted that a firefighter is coming."

One of the main reasons Kootenai County Fire and Rescue was nominated, Fuller said, was for the work they continue to do outside the classroom with families.

And the way they do it.

"They give the families such dignity," Fuller said. "Even when they're having to talk about a serious, hard issue with a family, such as a juvenile fire starter, for example, or a family that has a safety issue in their home that is so profound that it really has to be taken care of immediately or there might be great risk to the family."

The trust and relationship KCFR establishes helps the family see the organization as a resource rather than a threat, Fuller said.

Lyon said that because of the partnership with Head Start, his organization is able to get into houses and help families where the potential for fatalities is very high should a fire start.

Lives are saved because of it, Lyon said.

He talks about a 4-year-old and a 2-year-old who woke up grandparents and an aunt and uncle during a fire, "even though the grownups were telling them to go back to bed."

"It's about empowering residents to help themselves," Lyon said.

That's one of the main purposes of Head Start. The agency's mission statement is to "enable families with limited resources to nurture and support their own and their young children's educational, social, emotional and physical development."

"We're honored that they're willing to partner with us," Lyon said.