Seguin fire, EMS adopt Patlan students

Felicia Frazar The Seguin Gazette

Faces of the students at Patlan Elementary lit up when a group of firefighters walked into the cafeteria, sat down at the tables and talked to the children.

Laughter filled the room as the children asked Seguin firefighters questions and carried on conversations during the first Festivities with Firefighters.

“We’re fourth and fifth grade and it is everything from what I do to their dog’s name to what we’re having for lunch,” Seguin Assistant Fire Chief Garrick Herbert said.

Some of the children got an up-close look at one of the fire trucks, the tools firefighters use and the gear they wear when fighting fires.

Much like the Seguin Police Department adopted Jefferson Elementary School earlier this month, the Seguin Fire Department adopted Paltan as part of a Seguin ISD student enrichment initiative that brings the community into school.

“We’re just excited to be working with the youth in the community,” Herbert said. “I know there is a lot of opportunities for us to interact with them and see us as people. They only ever see us drive by in a fire truck. If we’re able to make a connection with the youth at this age, they’re more likely to engage public safety appropriately, whether that is police or fire. I think that is what it is supposed to be. My hope for this program is to get to spend more time with the youth on a non-emergent basis.”

Patlan Principal Linda Guzman was thrilled to see how interested the children were in careers as firefighters.

“Anytime they see a fireman or police, it is out of distress,” she said. “So, to be able to see them and not be in need, they can ask questions and think about the future. The fourth graders were asking, do you have to know science or math. They’re asking real-world questions. So many were sharing they wanted to be a fireman and what does the training look like.”

Guzman was enthralled as the children interacted with the firefighters.

“To see them able to ask those questions in an area that is not threatening, eating lunch, is magical for me,” she said.

The principal is excited about the possibilities the adopt-a-campus program can bring for the students.

“The fact that we can bring the community together and bring the firemen in is incredible,” she said. “The sky is the limit. Just to see the different entities that we have in our community making our community stronger. We’re all one community. This is really bringing in that one team, one heart into everything.”

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