Vernon Hills High School (VHHS) students in the Hybrid Life Integration of Food & Exercise (LIFE) class learned more about it by experiencing the Countryside Fire Combat Challenge. Students had an opportunity to understand the importance of firefighter fitness by wearing equipment such as a bunker coat, helmet and gloves with an airpack on their back. Now add a shoulder load of hose and carry it 50 feet. and drop it, then crawl through a 20 foot tall pipe. Stand up and grab the victim (the doll) and drag or carry 60 feet. Crawl back through the 20 foot pipe and take the shoulder load of the hose and carry to the finish line. Mrs. Whitescarver and Mr. Pagani, who jointly teach the LIFE class for VHHS, worked with Fire & Life Safety Director Tony Rodkey and asked for ideas. Tony Rodkey has taught kitchen fire safety classes in food classes and CPR / first aid classes in health classes for Whitescarver and Pagani for the past 14 years.
“We’ve set up the fight challenge for the VHHS Senior Party after graduation for the past 14 years, so I thought we could do the same for this class of 39 students,” said Rodkey. “It’s part of the overall course, scaled down so that children who are not the fitness level can participate and have fun while they learn the importance of proper diet and exercise,” added Rodkey. Mrs. Whitescarver said, “It was a great opportunity for the students and I thank the fire department for their help.”
This program also helped promote fire safety as students helped put up a State Farm Insurance-donated banner with the theme of Fire Safety Week 2021, “Learn the Sounds of Fire Safety”.
Eat well, exercise regularly, and test smoke alarms monthly. More information is available at www.countrysidefire.com.
