Last Thursday morning, just a quarter-mile from the rim of the Tea Fire ruins, the Montecito Fire Protection District took its National Fire Safety Prevention Week crusade efforts to Cold Spring School.

With an anniversary near and the aftermath in plain sight, fire prevention crew-saders illustrated useful tactics to third- and fourth-graders with help from the mobile Fire Safety House, simulating real fire situations within the home.

“One thing we’re more aware of this year is that some of these kids have lost their homes,” Montecito firefighter Greg Lopez said.

Fourth-grade teacher Joel Orr said he pulled two students aside to make sure they felt comfortable crawling through the smoke-filled simulation. Their responses: “I’m fiiiine!” and “We’re excited for fire safety!”

“These kids may be more resilient than the parents,” Cold Spring aide Cory Cordero said while trying to keep squiggling students at bay. “This year, it’s not even on their radar.”

Nearly 10 percent of the children at Cold Spring are victims of Santa Barbara’s fires.

The Fire Safety House trailer, equipped with a faux phone for 9-1-1 practice calls and a funky-fog machine, sent eager students out a window and down a ladder, while firefighters encouraged alternating groups to point out hazards, recite their home addresses and know their telephone numbers.

As the last few children popped out of the trailer, one of the third-grade teachers gathered her brood and sunk to eye-level with the kids. “Now go look the firefighters in the eyes and say ‘Thank you.’”

— Noozhawk intern Rachel Urbach can be reached at rurbach@noozhawk.com.