Making fire safety fun

Grade 1 students at St. David Catholic Elementary School are learning about fire safety through a new Greater Sudbury Fire Services program.

The program, entitled "The Adventures of Sparky the Travelling Fire Dog,” is specifically geared to Grade 1 classes.

The students have the opportunity to take a stuffed animal, a talking Sparky doll, home for one week.

During this week, the children are asked to complete a fire safety checklist with their parents and add a page to Sparky's journal that outlines his adventures in the homes of different families.

"This is a fun new way to get our safety messages into the homes of young children and families,” Mitch Theriault, a public safety officer with the fire department, said.

"The entire family follows a checklist that asks them to do things like test their smoke and carbon monoxide alarms, practice a fire escape drill, and make sure candles are in a safe place among other tips."

Grade 1 student McKena Houston said when she brought Sparky home, she and her mother reviewed the fire safety tips in the booklet.

"Sparky is awesome," McKena said.

Posted by Heidi Ulrichsen