MFD reaches kids virtually for Fire Prevention Week
For the first time in 35 years, Monongalia County’s elementary school students did not get to see the Morgantown Fire Department’s puppet show for Fire Prevention Week.
The COVID-19 pandemic forced the cancellation of the inter-generational experience. However, Andy “Fireman Andy” Dotson, Morgantown Fire Department’s public education coordinator, said the department has been adapting and reaching out to students through digital methods.
Since the puppet show has been held at University High School, its drama and acting students — who went to the show themselves as elementary students — have helped put on the show. A lot of parents also remember the show back when it was held at the Met, Dotson said.
“It was devastating just to my ego more than anything, because I like getting out there with the kids,” Dotson said of the cancellation. “It’s always exciting for me to see when it clicks in their little minds, that they understand what we’re talking about. It’s real cool.”
Schools have access to recordings of previous shows and Dotson has been reaching out through Zoom to talk about fire safety. He said he still gets dressed in full firefighting gear to show kids what a firefighter looks and sounds like.
Dotson said it’s been a learning curve and his fire safety education peers in other states have experienced the same issues and worked together to come up with ways to reach children.
The theme of this year’s Fire Prevention Week is “Serve Up Fire Safety in the Kitchen!”
Cooking is the leading cause of home fires and fire injuries in the U.S., according to the National Fire Protection Association. It’s estimated 44% of reported home fires start in the kitchen and two-thirds of home cooking fires start with the ignition of food or other cooking materials.
According to MFD, “The best advice is to stay in the kitchen as much as possible, use a timer and avoid distractions such as electronics or TV.”
Other tips include:
- Never leave cooking food unattended, and if you have to leave, even for a short time, turn off the stove.
- Check baking, simmering, roasting or broiling food regularly and use a timer to remind you you’re cooking.
- Be alert. You won’t be alert if you’re sleepy, have taken alcohol or drugs, or medicine that makes you drowsy.
- Have a “kid-free zone” of at least 3 feet around the stove and areas where hot food or drink is prepared or carried.
National Fire Prevention Week is held during the week of Oct. 9 each year as an acknowledgement of the Great Chicago Fire of 1871 that killed an estimated 300 people and caused $200 million in damage, according to a press release from MFD. President Calvin Coolidge declared the national observance in 1925.
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