By Della Hasselle
DNAinfo Reporter/Producer
MIDTOWN — Junior firefighters from the second grade learned use the web for fire safety Wednesday at an event where a new FDNY digital program was unveiled.
Guided by FDNY officials and their mascot Hot Dog at the Midtown FDNY Fire Zone Store, kids from Chelsea's P.S. 33 took quizzes, played games and watched Internet lessons on fire safety using the FNDY's brand-new interactive website.
"I learned that if there’s ever a fire and you can’t find your phone you still need to go outside," Faith Williams, 7, said about using the new program.
The program also covered what to do with an open flame, how to find the right exit to use in the case of a fire, and when to find a grown-up rather than deal with a dangerous problem by themselves.
"When there is a candle and it’s really hot you tell a grown up who can blow it out," Madyson Garcia, 7, said, giving an example of one of the online quiz questions.
"It keeps you safe and you know what to do when something like a fire happens."
The new program, funded by a $900,000 grant from the Department of Homeland Security, also gives teachers lessons plans they can use to incorporate fire safety during regular classroom hours, lieutenant executive director of fire safety education Anthony Mancuso said.
"It’s fun but it’s also a learning program," Mancuso said of the event, adding that past FDNY education initiatives are working because New York has seen the lowest number of fire-related deaths in the past few years.
Mancuso said the website effectively gets the message across to children.
"I think that children can relate better to some of the characters," he said. "They just drive the message home."
The most memorable moment is a digital appearance by Sonic the Hedgehog, who hosts the program’s Public Service Announcements that began during Saturday morning cartoons this month.
"I really like Sonic. I’m actually his biggest fan," Perell Campbell, 6, said after seeing the public service commercial on preventing fires. "He really does smart stuff."
