St. Thomas Aquinas students in the Grade 10 cooking class got some hands-on experience in putting out a small fire. The school partnered with the Kenora Fire Department to offer students a chance to use an extinguisher. "This educated them on the basics of fire safety," said firefighter Larry Cottam. "They're getting to an age where they are cooking on their own and teaching them the right way to do things is always good. It gives them some training and confidence in case they ever have a fire, they know how to use an extinguisher properly." Students first learned about fire safety in the classroom. Afterwards, they went to the field where a controlled fire was started. Each student had a chance to use an extinguisher and put it out. "It was lots of fun. Putting out the fire was really exciting." said student Kendaaz White. "I learned not to put water on it because it makes it spread more." The firefighters had White demonstrate what happens when you try to use water by getting him to spray water on the fire instead of using the extinguisher. The fire only burned higher and was not affected at all by the small spray of water. While this gives the students a great knowledge of how to use an extinguisher, Cottam says everyone should have one and know how to use it. "It's very important. Most extinguishers in the market today are ABC extinguishers, so they work on class A, B and C fires. So it's pretty simple because you only need one," he said. "Knowing how to use it, when to use it and what size of fire to use it on is also very important."