I hope that this blog post finds everyone well. After recovering from having three procedures done on my ankle in early January, I am finally back into the swing of things and ready to post more regularly. It has been a long healing process, but I am finally out of the boot that I have been wearing the past six years and ready to get my life back.
Wanted to let everyone know that the application period for the FY 2012 Fire Prevention and Safety Grants is next Friday, May 4. This is the perfect opportunity to apply for the fire prevention initiatives and firefighter health and safety programs that your department needs help funding. If you haven’t started your grant yet, it’s not too late. Visit the Fire Prevention and Safety Grant site to find the application, grant guidance and resources to help you prepare your application at http://www.fema.gov/firegrants/fpsgrants.
The Fire Safety Dogs and I reached a milestone April 5 as we have been busy live streaming our fire safety show, Sparkles’ Safety Spot, for one year. Last Friday marked our 33rd episode and our audience keeps growing each week. The show originally was live streamed the first and third Tuesday of every month, but on March 16 of this year, we started streaming live each Friday morning at 9:00 a.m. CST to meet the demand. We have really enjoyed the time change as it allows schools to tune in and we find that streaming weekly helps us “keep the flow” as we share fire prevention tips each week.
Sparkles’ Safety Spot is sponsored by First Alert and streams live from Sparkles’ Clubhouse. The program is not only educationally sound, but shares fire safety in a fun, entertaining way. Please feel free to join us each Friday and help us spread the word about this program with teachers/schools. To learn more about the program, visit http://www.keepkidsfiresafe.org/sparklessafetyspot.html.
The Fire Safety Dogs and I are also seeking schools and organizations to participate in the Sparkles’ Fire Safety Skype Tour program at no charge.
This fire safety program will be delivered to a limited number of school and group audiences in 2012-13 via Skype. This program teaches basic fire safety knowledge and skills to preschool and elementary children in kindergarten and first grade. In addition, students will be able to download a free copy of the coloring e-book, Sparkles' Fire Safety Skype Tour.
Each month, 10 schools will be selected to participate. The Skype visits will be held each Friday of the month, with each Skype visit lasting 30 minutes long.
What does this mean for you as educators? Should you wish to supplement your fire safety program, we would love to Skype with you during your presentation! Do you have a lack of funding and can’t reach all the schools/organizations in your area? We can help and will gladly Skype with those schools/organizations and help teach educationally sound fire safety programming.
Thanks to our sponsors for this program, State Farm and First Alert, this program will be offered from now until March of next year. Please feel free to visit http://www.keepkidsfiresafe.org/sparklesfiresafetyskypetour.html to learn more.
Next week is the Vision 20/20 Models in Fire Prevention Symposium in Reston, Virginia. I hope to see you there!
Until next time, stay safe!
