GASTON COUNTY, N.C. — The Duke Energy Foundation recently awarded $50,000 to Gaston County Emergency Management and Fire Services.

Emergency Management and Fire Services plans to use this money to fund an interactive fire safety trailer where people can get hands-on experience to learn lifesaving skills.

“The grant application was to do, not just a fire safety trailer, but really something that can look at all aspects of preparedness from the community standpoint,” said Adam Gaub, the communications director for Gaston County.

“It will have tornado and severe weather and different things that basically you can take anybody from kids to adults into the trailer and run them through simulated drills,” said Gaub. "And that’s really kind of a great opportunity to practice for these sort of things, give them real life hands-on experience.”

Terri Ellerbe, who is the fire and life safety educator for the county, says getting hands-on experience is important.

She says when you’re faced with a fire or severe weather, it can be hard to remember what to do. That’s why she believes this trailer will help prepare the community.

“It makes a big difference on what we can expound on, the information we can give the community and to students,” she said.

"It gives them, just a different feel of 'I’ve done this before and I can do it,'” she added.

The trailer will contain different scenarios that teaches people lifesaving measures.

“Plan for, if you’ve got a fire in your house, you know, know where you are going to meet up, know how you're going to get out,” said Gaub. "And these sort of trailers give a way to kind of practice that.”

Gaub says the next step is to bid for the trailer.

Once purchased, they hope to take it to different communities across the county, including schools and neighborhoods.