Agawam Fire Department is employing a new way to teach kids about fire safety, and one of the teachers has four legs and works for treats.

Blaze is a seven-month-old dalmatian with a nose for fire safety. For the past week, he and his partner, Pam Murphy, a 23-year firefighter with the town of Agawam, have been traveling in and out of classrooms at Agawam Middle School. They are teaching the fifth and sixth graders there what to do in case of fire.

"I tried to think of something I could do with the dog to help me with my safe class," said Murphy. "I started training him, and I trained him to stop, drop and roll."

The duo has been going into each of the 30 classrooms, spreading the word, desk by desk to the 721 kids at Agawam Middle School. For some, it's a good refresher.

"When you're little, you're taught fire safety all the time, and then once you get older, they kind of stop and it's not like that much. But, now you remember how important it is to be safe," said Hannah McCluskey, a sixth grader.

Fire departments are looking for unique ways to teach kids about fire safety, especially in the wake of so many devastating fires in Western Massachusetts. That's adding credence to the notion that you are never too old to brush up on escape techniques, and having an escape plan.

But, for the younger generation, Mark Costanzi, principal at Agawam Middle School finds that the children respond and learn better when exposed to something a little different.

"You know, just being able to pet the dog, and touch the dog, and have the dog pay attention to them. I think it's been a real plus," Costanzi said.

Sixth grader Darrell Self agrees, and added: "Blaze is real cute. He does the stop, drop, and roll for us."

"Everybody looks forward to seeing the dog, and he makes teaching fun. And that's the thing, is to make teaching fun," Murphy said.

Pam and Blaze are looking to expand their program to other schools.