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The Plains Schools Summer Program began last week with a visit from local firefighters, but it was the kids who got to douse a blaze, even if it was a fake fire and the water pressure was at only 100 psi, much less than what the town firefighters use on a real fire.

Town of Plains Fire Chief Anthony Young headed a talk with nearly 30 kindergarten through second grade children last Tuesday. They started out in the school's new gymnasium, where Young discussed fire alarms, extinguishers, escape routes, and what to do in the event of a fire. Young was accompanied by Nick Grancio, also of the Plains department, as well as Brian Reed, Pete Oaks, and Lyla Lambert, three members of the Plains-Paradise Rural Fire District.

Young talked to the kids about how to get out of a burning building, having a family escape plan, and what to do once they get outside. He had them recite one of the basic rules – "Don't Hide, Go Outside" – and had them practice the "stop, drop and roll" technique in the event their clothes catch fire. But then the firefighters switched to a fun mode and took the kids outside, where Young was first tested to see if he could don his firefighting apparel within the two-minute standard time. Seven-year-old Ryder Mercer pointed out that he couldn't do it last year.

"It's not as easy as it looks," said Oaks, who's been a firefighter at district for two years. He had also been a member of the town department for a year and a half. There are eight items for a firefighter to get into and at a fire, speed is of the essence. Young did it in one minute, 17 seconds.

The kids then took turns on a fire hose, knocking down a wooden fire some 20 feet away. They all managed to knock over the fabricated flames, but Oaks said the girls did better than the boys. The class also got their picture taken with the fire engine and firefighters. "The kids who attended loved it. They wore the little fire bands on their heads for the rest of the day," said Debbie Brown, the the program coordinator and a Title I para-educator at Plains School.

The program includes 48 children pre-kindergarten through eighth grade, said Brown, who was assisted by Molly Blood, Erin Miller and Cindy Gumm, who taught on Monday, the first day of the program. The program runs 8 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday through Thursday and ends July 28. The program was free because Plains Elementary School Principal Kevin Meredith received a grant. This is the second year for Plains School to have the program and the second year Brown has coordinated it. She also noted that more than half of the students had attended the program last year.

While the younger children were with the firefighters, Brown's older kids baked banana muffins, which all the kids ate later that day. "The cooking kids will make many different snack-type items from muffins to omelets in a muffin tin," said Brown, who added that they are working on a menu for a luncheon they'll be doing. "Starting next week, we will add jams, jelly and canning to our day," she said. "I even had one tell me he didn't think he would like it, but the second day in, he is hooked," said Brown.

Brown selected the weekly themes, and the group decided on speakers and subjects. "Most of the weekly themes were first-time subjects. The only repeat is the safety week, as I feel that is an important theme to carry through every year," said Brown, who has been with Plains School for 31 years. Young is the only speaker who participated in the program last year. On Wednesday, John Althof from "Operation Lifesaver" gave a presentation on railroad safety.

Plains resident Steve Spurr of the Montana Highway Patrol spoke to the kids on Thursday, mostly on safety, such as school and bicycle safety, traffic stops, and talking with strangers, especially at the fair. "The most entertaining group was the morning group with all the little kids, because it wasn't really questions, it was mostly everybody wanted to tell me their stories is rather cute," said Spurr, who's been with the Montana Highway Patrol for 11 years.

"This program provides learning, but not in an academic setting," said Brown. "We don't teach them with spelling or math lessons, but they get to those lessons through fun lessons, such as word finds, math mazes and cooking."

Though cooking was not a scheduled event, the older children banded together to cook and bake for the entire program. It started last year when Brown needed to fill a spot for the older kids and brought in supplies from home to make snacks. "Well I brought enough that we could make mini muffins for the whole program. The older kids loved it, and so cooking just became a regular thing," said Brown, who felt they were old enough to learn the basics, and last year they even did a luncheon for the summer school staff. In addition, the kids are getting math, reading and spelling just by cooking. "I love introducing new experiences to children," she said.

Brown comes up with the daily menu for the snacks, but the luncheon menu is a group consensus. "We discuss the menu, the budget for the item they want to prepare and the ease of the preparation," she said. Brown is adding a new section this year on food preservation by making jams, jellies, canning rhubarb and zucchini relish.

"I really enjoy seeing the children flourish in an environment that is a learning experience, but not necessarily an academic environment," said Brown. "I love teaching my group about cooking. They are amazing. I ask them to step up and cook something and they don't even blink an eye. I raise the bar and they vault it," she said.

The program this year will include an Indigenous People Week with a representative from the Confederated Salish & Kootenai Tribes, and a Cultures Around the World Week with members of the Pacific Islanders Club teaching the kids how to make leis. In July, a representative from the Missoula Butterfly House and Insectarium will be on hand with live insects, said Brown.