The following is an extended version of the story that appears in our latest print edition.

 

It was a hot yet fun-filled and educational day all around as a Football Skills & Drills Camp was held in the Williamsbridge Oval in Norwood on Saturday, July 30, hosted by FDNY Community Affairs, the FDNY Office of Recruitment and Retention, and the FDNY Bravest Football Team in conjunction with local football group, the Bronx Buccaneers.

 

Participants received training on not only some useful football skills, but fire safety training, and emergency preparedness and CPR training too. In addition, participants registered for smoke alarms to be installed in their homes, and there were plenty of giveaways and fun games as well.

“This event allowed community members to participate alongside players from the FDNY Football Team who ran skills and drills to help lead, motivate and coach young participants,” an FDNY spokesperson later said of the event. “Also on hand was the Fire Safety Education Unit, the Mobile CPR Unit, and a FDNY Mobile Academy. FDNY members had a great time interacting with the community the Department serves.”

 

FDNY Captain Gerald Rocco used the occasion to remind residents and participants that if a fire alarm goes off in their building, and if it stops a few minutes later, they should still call 911 to find out why the alarm went off in the first place.

As reported, in the wake of the horrific Twin Parks Fire tragedy which, on Sunday, Jan. 9, claimed the lives of 17 people, including 8 children, in a residential, high rise building, housing many immigrant families, and located at 333 East 181st Street in the Fordham Heights section of The Bronx, urgent fire safety training sessions were integrated into various community meetings in efforts to educate the public on how best to protect themselves in the event of a fire. Meanwhile, a number of new laws have been passed at every level of government to improve protections for residents.

 

However, the FDNY also wanted to ensure the next generation of Bronxites are trained on fire safety and so the Drills & Skills camp was a fun way to roll out this training, while also building important relationships with department personnel.

Some of the main fire safety takeaways from the fire safety training are as follows:

DO 

DON”T

Due to the ongoing hot weather, participants were also reminded, as reported, that spray caps are available from local fire houses and can be fitted to fire hydrants to create a gentle cool spray. However, opening fire hydrants full throttle is illegal as it wastes water and may cause a fire hazard in the event of a fire.

 

As reported, the Bronx Buccaneers have existed for over 20 years and are a “full-tackle” football group open to children ages 5-14. “Our main goal is to get kids in the high school of their choice and hopefully to get them a free education to college,” Kevin Spivey Jr. president of the Bronx Buccaneers Youth Football Program, told Norwood News last April.

 

At the time, the Buccaneers were presenting their case for getting kids more involved in sport during the March meeting of Bronx Community Board 7’s (CB7) Education, Youth & Libraries committee. The local sports group are of the view that sports ultimately help students advance along their educational path and do all they can to support kids on that journey.

To accomplish this, the group has partnered with high schools such as DeWitt Clinton, John F. Kennedy, and Cardinal Hayes. An important focal point of the program is academics. To participate, kids must have at least an average GPA numerical grade of 80. However, Spivey Jr. said that they do give kids the opportunity to make up their score.

 

Meanwhile, Tasha Harris-Andrews of Bronx Buccaneers was happy with the success of the Fire Drills & Skills event held at the Oval. Posting some photos of the event on her social media, she added the message, “Thank you Yvonne, the FDNY Bravest Football Team, & all the FDNY departments for hosting event at the Oval with the Bronx Buccs Football Team. It was amazing!”

 

Despite the increased awareness of the need for fire safety, as reported, fires have continued to occur in The Bronx and it’s also been challenging for the media to receive details of the root cause of many fires in order to share them with the public.

Harris-Andrews later told Norwood News, “What a great day we had with the FDNY and their different components, especially FDNY’s football team “The Bravest.” Watching our players interact with them was amazing!”

 

She added, “And what a great opportunity it was for them to see that behind the uniforms are real people. This day was monumental because we usually only encounter the fire department during an emergency. Learning fire safety in a related environment was both fun and educational.”

More information can be found on the Bucaneer’s Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/bronxbuccs/. For more information on how to stay safe in the event of a fire, visit FDNY’s safety tips: https://www.fdnysmart.org/safetytips/.