Fire Prevention Week has wrapped up for another year, with the Fort Frances Fire Department giving away prizes to nine local youngsters who had shown their fire smarts.
This year’s winner of a GT bike and helmet from Skates & Blades, as well as a “Your Safe Home” kit, T-shirt, a stuffed “Sparky the Fire Dog,” was five-year-old Emma Keeler.
Baille Strom and Jim McCoy each won knapsacks full of fire safety goodies for kids while Cameron Turriff, Hunter Calder, Scott Schell, Mary Strain, Lillie MacKinnon, and Cole Kowalski each won “Your Safe Home” kits.
The youngsters had to answer skill-testing fire safety questions to be eligible for the draws.
“I think the whole week was very successful,” said local firefighter Wayne Riches, who organized this year’s Fire Prevention Week events here.
Fort Frances Fire Chief Steve Richardson showed his gratitude to all those who made the event-filled week possible.
“The theme this year was ‘Team up for safety,’” he said. “And with the fire brigade and all our sponsors working together, we showed a real team effort both this year and in the past.”
Fire Prevention Week ran from Oct. 6-12, but it officially kicked off with firefighters and their mascot, “Sparky,” making appearances at both McDonald’s Restaurant and the Clover Valley Farmers’’ Market on Oct. 5.
Not only could children enter draws, they also got to a close-up look at a fire truck and the “Hazard House”—a working miniature model of a house where the possible dangers of a fire starting at home are clearly demonstrated.
Firefighters also spent the week visiting Huffman, Sixth Street, St. Michael’s, Robert Moore, J.W. Walker, and Alexander MacKenzie schools, bringing the “Hazard house,” a fire truck, and sometimes “Sparky” with them.
The fire department will continue to visit local schools throughout the year to spread their message of fire safety without all the extra props, noted Riches.
Meanwhile, the winner of another draw to see who will be “Fire Chief for a Day” will be announced later this week.
The winner will get a tour of the Fire Hall and eat lunch with Chief Richardson at McDonald’s.