National Fire Prevention Week was Oct. 3-9 , and the National Fire Protection Association’s (NFPA) theme for this year was: Smoke Alarms: A Sound You Can Live With. In recognition of Fire Prevention Week, each Effingham County school held a fire drill on Oct. 1.
The school system has also requested fire safety demonstrations in November or December by the Office of Insurance and Safety Fire Commission’s Fire Safety House, a mobile education unit used to reiterate important fire safety education messages. It is a two-story mobile unit with dimensions of approximately 8x28x11. The house is equipped with a living room, kitchen, and bedroom. Nontoxic smoke is used upstairs to simulate a fire situation. The bedroom door has a heating element that feels warm to the touch. The bedroom also has a window and escape ladder that children are instructed to use if the primary exit is blocked. During a tour, children are taught essential life saving lessons such as Stop, Drop and Roll, Crawl Low Under Smoke, and How to Cool a Burn. The fire safety house is taken to schools, safety fairs, and other fire safety events upon request.
In addition, during National Fire Prevention Week, students in each kindergarten class were presented with fire safety coloring books provided by the Effingham County Farm Bureau. Catie Thigpen with the Farm Bureau also presented each elementary school with fire safety book marks. As part of Fire Prevention Week, students in grades K-12 have also been given the opportunity to participate in the following optional contests:
Elementary students also have the opportunity to compete in a statewide Poster Contest reflecting the NFPA theme: Smoke Alarms: A Sound You Can Live With. There is a first place prize of a $100 U.S. Savings Bond and other prizes for this category.
There is also a k-5 statewide Fire Safety Tips Calendar Poster Contest (must reflect on the fire safety tips as outlined in criteria). There will be 13 winners selected and their artwork will appear on the cover and on each month of the 2011 calendar. To view the calendar, go to: www.georgiafiresprinkler.org/calendars.php.
Students in grades K-3 can also enter the statewide Fire Safety House Essay Contest: What I Want to Learn and Know about the Fire Safety House.
There is a first place prize of a $100 U.S. Savings Bond and other prizes for this category. Students in grades 6-12 also have the opportunity to enter the statewide Fire Safety Essay Contest for their age group. The theme is: SmokeAlarms: A Sound You Can Live With. There is a first place prize of a $100 U.S. Savings Bond and other prizes for this category.
High school seniors may enter the Georgia Fire Sprinkler Association Essay Contest: “How would you convince your local state representative to vote for sprinkler systems in all residential and commercial buildings?” A scholarship in the amounts of $1,500 will be awarded for first place; $1,000 for second place; and $750 for third place. Details for this essay may be obtained at www.georgiafiresprinkler.org.
For more information about these contests, contact your child’s school.