Fire department receives fire safety grant
By Deborah Bennett Millen News Editor

Buzzly, star of the "Buzzly Fire Safety Program" visits with kindergarten students at Jenkins County Elementary School during a kick-off of the fire safety program made available through a grant received by the Millen-Jenkins County Fire Rescue Department. (Staff photo by Deborah Bennett)

An estimated 750 local school children will be taught the importance of fire safety with funds provided through a grant received by the Millen- Jenkins County Fire and Rescue Department. The grant was secured from the Georgia Fire Fighter Burn Foundation through the organization's Brant Chensey Grant program. Safety Training Officer Robert Reeves Jr. submitted the grant application on behalf of the local fire department.

The grant award was used to acquire "Buzzly Fire Safety" programs to be placed in the classrooms of Jenkins County Elementary School (JCES), Jenkins County Memorial Library and the local fire station. Each kit includes a 17-minute interactive animated video, teacher lesson plan, parent information handout and student activity sheets.

According to Reeves, "This grant will allow us to teach our youngest children fire safety survival skills. Over the past three years, we have had five children die in fire related incidents. This statistic reveals how very important it is that we teach our young children what to do in a fire emergency."

He continued, "The United States Fire Administration reports that children under the age of 10 account for an estimated 22.2 percent of all fire related deaths in the U.S. Our county no longer wants to be a part of that statistic. Prevention is the key."

A "Buzzly Fire Safety" kickoff program for the kindergarten classes of JCES was held Friday, Aug. 17, with "Buzzly", the star of the animated video, in attendance. The fire department also had its fire truck on hand to demonstrate the lights and noises that the students need to familiarize themselves with.

"It's exciting to be able to introduce this program in our county and to teach our youngest high risk children what to do in a fire emergency," said Reeves.

Twenty-eight fire safety programs were distributed to 25 classrooms at the school.

For more information on the program, visit the website at www.buzzlyfiresafety.com.