FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Prince George, BC — To help mark Fire Prevention Week, the City of Prince George Fire/Rescue Department hosted its annual ‘Fire Chief for a Day’ event on Saturday, October 19 at Firehall 1.
The event, aimed at promoting fire safety awareness, gave four lucky elementary school students a behind-the-scenes look at the life of a firefighter and inspired them to be safety champions in their community.
The theme for this year’s Fire Prevention Week (October 6-12) was “Smoke Alarms – Make Them Work for You!” In collaboration with local schools, the Fire/Rescue Department sent home educational packages to children in kindergarten through to grade three, including fire safety information, a fire escape plan template, and contest entry forms for the ‘Fire Chief for a Day’ competition.
Four young winners were selected from a live draw on October 10:
- Addison Parker, Hart Highlands
- Jonah Tajcnar, Polaris
- Smith Cleverley, Vanway
- Julia Beckett, Ecole College Heights
These winners joined Fire Chief Cliff Warner, Chief Fire Prevention Officer Steve Feeney, Fire Safety Educator Andrew Zielinski, Firefighter Sydney Toninato, and the fire crews on duty at Firehall 1 for an exciting day of learning, fun, and leadership.
Throughout the day, the children experienced life as honorary junior fire chiefs. They enjoyed a fire hall tour, inspected the fire trucks, and participated in fire crew activities. They also sprayed water from a fire hose under firefighter supervision and met Fire Chief Cliff Warner in his office, where they each received a custom plaque, nameplate, and a chance to issue a lighthearted “Junior Chief’s Order” to the crews, which included push-ups, burpees, and even a song performance by on of the firefighters.
Following the fire hall festivities, the junior fire chiefs took a special ride in a fire truck to the Victoria street McDonald's, where staff treated them and their families to lunch in a decorated section of the restaurant. Each child received goodie bags, and the restaurant provided free meals to the event’s attendees.
This year's event was especially successful, with over 900 contest entries collected from 31 elementary schools within city limits.
The ‘Fire Chief for a Day’ event is an annual tradition that continues to spread the important message of fire safety throughout the community.
“Our aim is to teach kids that fire prevention starts at home and that they can play a part in keeping their families safe,” said Captain Andrew Zeilinski.
“We’re grateful for the strong response this year and look forward to growing this event for even greater impact in years to come.”
Photo details for captions:
Photo 1: Left to right: Julia Beckett, Smith Cleverley, Addison Parker, and Jonah Tajcnar.
Photo 2: Julia Beckett with Firefighter Nicholas Young
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Media contact:
Claire Thwaites, senior communications advisor
Mobile: 778-349-1386
Email: media@princegeorge.ca