Legislator Jacobs Secures Funds for Firefighters Museum and Education Center

            Legislator Judy Jacobs (D-Woodbury) secured $25,000 in Nassau County Community Revitalization funding for the expansion of the Firefighters Museum & Education Center. The funds will be used to include a Junior Firefighters Center where children (toddler age and older) can interact with exhibits that will reinforce the safety lessons taught throughout the museum.

            “Safety is an important priority for children and adults alike,” Legislator Jacobs said, “This exhibit allows children to embrace security measures in a hands-on manner that is not only educational, it is enjoyable and allows them to practice what they’ve learned in a supervised environment.”

            In the new learning center, children are able to participate in the rescue of a caricature in distress. They take a virtual ride to the scene in a fire truck, rescue the character, give first aid, and extinguish the “fire.” There are audio recordings at each check point that give the junior firefighters practical safety tips like the importance of families setting plans in case of an emergency. Graduation certificates are awarded after the children complete the junior firefighter tasks, granting the children a sense of accomplishment along with their increased fire safety awareness.

           

            For children too young to take part in these activities, the funds secured by Legislator Jacobs made possible an area for toddlers to be situated in a space next to the learning center with a seating area for parents or other visitors. There are other toys and games within this area including steering wheels, puzzles, a street map rug, and accompanying fire truck toys to use with it.