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By Eric Harkreader, March 28, 2005

Last updated: Monday, March 28, 2005 10:43 AM EST

To anyone watching, it must have looked like quite a party.

Smoke poured out the top of the unmarked trailer and water poured out the side.

But inside the custom-made trailer, eight to 10 residents of East Gate Apartments were learning fire safety first-hand.

South Middleton Township Fire Company officials were holding a trial run of the $40,000 toy they bought just before Christmas with the help of federal grant money and a $4,000-donation from the township.

"You get to be our guinea pigs," Chief George Stapleton tells the eight to 10 residents packed into the trailer's "kitchen," complete with working stove.

Living up to his word, Stapleton flips a switch filling the room with thick white "smoke" to simulate a fire.

"You got to remember what's killing you in a fire," he says. "It's not heat, it's the smoke."

"Just think how dark it would be if it were night," adds Vikki Garman of the American Red Cross, which held a fire prevention program, "Seconds Count," earlier in the day.

Stapleton says the best advice is to get as low to the ground as possible and seek out the safest escape route.

Check for heat

As a demonstration, he had volunteers get down and feel the bottom of a door. This, too, was activated at the flip of switch, causing the volunteers to pull back in surprise from the slight heat.

"If it's not hot, crack it and see if any smoke comes in" before escaping, he says.

If the door is hot, Stapleton says, place a towel or piece of clothing at the base to contain the smoke and seek a new exit. If none is available, open a window and suspend a piece of clothing to help rescuers locate trapped victims.

And call 911.

"Even if it's a stove fire, and it's under control, call 911 and say, ‘Hey, there's a lot of smoke in here, but it's under control," he says. This way responders know how severe a situation is before they arrive and whether to look for trapped residents.

Turn off burners

In the event of a stove fire, Stapleton says turn off the burner first, noting the common reaction is to open the lid to see what's burning or try to dump the contents.

Carolyn Wilkerson pipes up with her "embarrassing" story about dumping a pot of burning grease outside her window.

"I just panicked," she says. Wilkerson feels she now would feel much more comfortable in an emergency situation having gone through the simulation.

Connie Cox of Camp Hill was there because her grandma "dragged her along." She was concerned for her grandma, who lives on the complex's third floor, but felt the demonstration was helpful.

Smoke lingers

As a finale, officials lit a swath of muslin in the trailer's steel-lined fire chamber. Flames raced up the fabric and set the room's sprinkler off, sending a shower of water down on the room's contents. Even with the flames out, the room remained clogged with thick black smoke and suspended ash.

"People just don't take fire seriously," Garman says. "It makes a big difference actually seeing it."

Stapleton adds fire prevention is at least as important for fire departments as responding to calls. "If we can prevent the fire from happening in the first place, it's a much more effective approach," he says.

The department is still refining the show and trailer.

"We haven't even had time to get it lettered yet," Stapleton says — but the firefighters eventually will offer demonstrations at community events. The trailer took Western Pennsylvania-firm Scotty seven months to build, he adds.

The Red Cross' "Seconds Count" program does free home demonstrations upon request, including creating custom escape plans. Call 243-5211 for information.