If you're going to put on a fire safety day, you need to cover the two E's; education and entertainment.

"The big thing is to let the kids get an opportunity to look at the trucks, look at the equipment and play some games," Lavalette Vol. Fire Dept. Deputy Chief, Chris Holley, said.

Holley confesses it's not always easy to get across to children the importance of fire safety and that's why you need to find new ways to keep their attention.

The simulated fire house is fun and seeing the jaws-of-life in action is always a crowd favorite, but what about something more on the little ones' level?

That's where Patches comes in to play. He's a talking, electronic dalmatian that makes learning fire safety even more fun for small children.

"The majority of kids know fire safety," Patches said. "They know how to call 9-1-1 and they know what to do if their clothes are on fire."

Pearls of wisdom from a cuddly dog that kids and parents can trust.

"Every kid likes little dogs," Brad Archer said. "And he talks."

A talking dog that's all about spreading education through entertainment.

"You want to be able to save as many lives as possible," Patches said. "If it's through education, then that's what we need to be doing."

Fire safety day in Lavalette was sponsored by the Lavalette Lions Club.