DAPHNE, Ala. — Most children know to “stop, drop and roll,” if they catch on fire, but what to do in a burning building is a harder question for children to answer.

The Spanish Fort Fire Department, thanks to a grant from the Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation, hopes to educate children in a fun way so they will be more prepared if they ever find themselves in that situation.

The foundation presented Spanish Fort Fire Rescue with an inflatable fire safety house worth $12,775. The large inflatable house looks fun on the outside, but the house was designed to teach children what to do if they are caught in a fire.

The equipment will provide “lifesaving fire education reinforced through a fun and interactive experience for children and adults alike,” the foundation stated in a press release. The walls of the house have directions and advice for children, who follow an escape route to exit the burning building by sliding down the ladder of a waiting fire truck.

Spanish Fort Fire Chief Roger Few said the department has already put the equipment to use.

“It is a very unique piece of equipment. This is the only piece like it in Baldwin County. We have used it about six times so far and the response has been pretty phenomenal. The kids absolutely love being able to go into the safety house, explore and of course it is an educational piece at the same time.

“It is a wonderful partnership between the Public Safety Foundation and the Spanish Fort Fire Department. I just appreciate what they do,” Few said.

The inflatable house is the second donation the foundation has provided in this area. In 2008, $10,000 worth of equipment was donated. The foundation was created in 2005 following Hurricane Katrina by Firehouse Subs. Since the foundation began, it has handed out more than $2 million to provide funding, life-saving equipment and education opportunities for first responders including fire, police and EMS units. Robin Peters, executive director of the Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation said more than $200,000 has been given to organizations in Alabama.

“In 2005, the Firehouse Subs founders Chris and Robin Sorenson went to Mississippi after Hurricane Katrina. They really went there to just try to feed first responders and they became very involved with feeding the first responders and survivors. It had an impact on them and they basically said that they could make a difference,” Peters said.

The foundation’s funds are raised at each Firehouse Subs location with a donation box at the cash register and the sale of 5-gallon pickle buckets for $2 each. In the wake of the tornadoes in Alabama and most recently in Joplin, Mo., the retailer has also allowed customers to round up the total price of their order to raise money for the locations ravaged by storms.

“You never know when you or someone close to you will be personally impacted by the life-saving capabilities of a first responder,” local franchisee Scott Allday said. “These heroes deserve the best tools, training and technology and our foundation is here to help make that happen.”