Each year, Morden Fire & Rescue (MFR) makes presentations to grade one students in Western School Division and selects one student to be the Fire Chief of the Day.
MFR Captain and Public Education Officer Jonathan Baumgart explains this program.
"Part of Fire Chief of the Day is we have a program that goes to the school where we encourage grade one students to complete a home fire escape plan and in that home fire escape plan, they take the plan home, they draw it up with their family in the practice and that gives them a ballot into the contest to be awarded Fire Chief of the day. So today, our winner is Nicole (Pavlenko). She submitted a home fire escape plan, and she was awarded Fire Chief of the Day."
There are perks for the whole class.
"Part of the event was we went to Maple Leaf School this afternoon, and we spoke about home fire escape plans and the important role of smoke detectors in the home. We went over the protective gear of firefighters and over the tools and equipment that are on our apparatus, had a truck tour, and we ended the afternoon with shooting targets of the fire hose. We took Nicole home from school back to the fire hall to do a couple truck checks, and get a hall tour, and we're gonna pick up her family and go for supper at Boston Pizza."
A happy winner
Pavlenko was happy to have won and is looking forward to going over the plan with her family.
"I drew my house. I have two ways to get out of the house: the window and the door in the garage. I have a door so we can go out from there or go to the tree, our safe place. Thank you to the Morden Fire Department and Boston Pizza."
What is your plan?
According to Baumgart, with the sponsorship of Boston Pizza, this program makes sharing this lifesaving information with families possible. He shared Pavlenko's gratitude for their ongoing support and encouraged all families to make sure there are working smoke detectors in their home and to make a home fire escape plan for their family.
