I see a lot of college hockey players with wire cages on their helmets. I know the leagues usually require full facial protection but do they prefer the wire cage over the shield cage? Why?
It's Older kids (high school) are old enough to learn about basic rescue and fire extinguishers. Use of a fire blanket, etc. Talk about the fire-triangle (heat-oxygen-fuel) and how fire extingiushers work to extinguish fire. A CO2 fire extinguisher is a great demo tool. Go over the P.A.S.S. acronym (pull, aim, squeeze, sweep) rule about use of a fire extinguisher. Never fight a fire with a portable device unless it is small and you can fight the fire with your back to the exit. All of these basic principles do not need a large budget. You'll be surprised how receptive the kids are, even at the high school level so long as you keep it interesting. As community knowledge of your program grows, you can host pecial events at fairs and parades and ask for donations to help support the program. Funds can be used to purchase activity guides, smoke detectors, etc. Consider pairing up with other rural departments to host a smoke trailer event. Contact fire safety companies, you'd be surprised how many would be willing to dontate detectors and extinguishers in exchange for a little publicity. Good luck!
Be proud, and keep doing your own thing man. It can't make you THAT mad that there other people that want to BE you too.
