First-graders throughout Albert Lea this week are participating in possibly life-saving homework.

Firefighters Brett Boss and Brian Neve visited St. Theodore Catholic School Monday morning to distribute homework that outlines safety measures in a fire.

Included in the homework is a checklist with multiple tasks, such as testing each home smoke detector and carbon monoxide detector; knowing to call 911 and relaying your address to first responders; and crawling low if there is smoke in the room. It also covers demonstrating the stop, drop and roll adage while covering your face with hands; having children discuss a rule about matches, lighters and fires; and practicing home exit drills.

Neve said some first-graders have grown familiar with firefighters from visits, noting visits have allowed the students to be more aware of possible fire situations.

Boss said the training is also a safety reminder for parents to observe home carbon monoxide detectors.

The worksheet is part of the Fire Department’s message to area elementary schools, Neve said.

Firefighters have worn their gear and talked through masks with students in the past to make them more familiar in case of an emergency. Neve said though the students were “petrified” at first, they have grown more comfortable.

“It’s a friendship,” he said. “They are not afraid anymore.”

He said children have called in fires to them, and he credited their awareness to the Fire Department’s outreach effort.

The program is in its 25th year. Firefighters also delivered handouts to Halverson, Lakeview, Hawthorne and Sibley elementary schools, as well as Hollandale Christian School.

T-shirts and coloring books are available to first-graders who complete the assignment.

A poster contest was held last fall for fifth-graders in connection with Fire Prevention Week. All fifth-graders in the district are expected to complete a poster with a theme. The winner was then selected and sent to the state contest.