With the final batch finishing up Friday, 78 Suffolk children have gained skills and knowledge at Fire Camp this summer that may one day save their life.

Fire Marshal Pam King, who runs the camp with Assistant Fire Marshal Gary Lassiter, talked about hiking and safety in the woods early Wednesday afternoon at Suffolk Fire and Rescue’s King’s Fork headquarters.

Monday, the first day of the final session, was “a day in the life of a firefighter,” King said.

“That’s when they rode the trucks, they used the hoses, and firefighters came in and did equipment demonstrations,” she said.

On Tuesday, the 26 children aged 6 through 9 learned about fire escape plans and participated a live drill with the department’s Fire Safety House, a 36-foot trailer with a “kitchen” on one end and “bedrooms” at the other.

The third day was bike safety, as well as the afternoon’s lesson on hiking and safety in the woods, and a visit from a rescue dog.

The department is proactive in its outreach to schools, King said, and the camp is offered over the summer to “enhance those lessons.”

“The big thing for them is seeing a fire truck,” Lassiter said. “When they realize they are actually going to get to ride in one, their interest goes through the roof.

“On the second day, when they come back, their parents (say), “Oh my gosh, that’s all we heard about all night long.’”

During camp, the children are divided into engine companies, King said, adding, “We rotate around the table so every student gets a change to serve as the captain and the lieutenant, just like we do in real life.”

Camp-goers have to draw up a home fire escape plan, King said, and are held accountable.

Before creating the plan, they first have to inspect their home. “They must practice it, and it must be signed and returned to me to look over,” King said.

“The parents have been coming in with questions themselves — things that they might not have been clear on.”

Thursday plans included a visit from Suffolk Police Department’s K9 division and an obstacle course, King said, while Friday is graduation day.

“It’s basically a reward day for doing their escape plans,” she said of graduation day. “(But) if they don’t do an escape plan, they sit with me and draw it during class.”

There was also a visit by Smokey the Bear, for a lesson on forest fires, and instruction on the proper use of the 911 system, King said.