- December 17, 2025
Students at Cypress Creek Elementary got a close-up look at fire safety thanks to crews from Port Orange Fire and Rescue.
The firefighters were at the school for the new Adopt-A-Class program put on through the fire department. On Wednesday, Oct. 18, crews spent the morning talking with around 100 students about different kinds of fires, firefighting gear and how to stop, drop and roll.
"It's our attempt to get back into the schools and have a more structured curriculum for the kids to help them get reacquainted with fire safety," Jordan Guido, emergency management coordinator and public education specialist, said. "We've opened it up to all elementary schools."
Guido spent the summer working on the program, which was inspired by similar initiatives at fire departments in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, where she used to work, and Illinois, where Fire Chief Ken Fustin is from.
"It went really well. I was really happy with it," Guido said. "The kids were really engaged, asked a lot of questions and were really excited, and our guys had tons of fun with it, they love going out to the schools and seeing the kids."
Throughout the program, crews will follow the students from kindergarten to fifth grade with two structured presentations each year along with other drop-in visits. The two presentations will take place in the fall and spring.
Guido said that so far, Cypress Creek Elementary is the only school that has opted to take part in the program. However, Guido explained they are hoping to get more schools involved.
"The fire department really hasn't had as much involvement with the schools as we'd like," Guido said. "My thing has been wanting make sure we're interacting with all the students."
