The Oneida Daily Dispatch (Oneida, NY)
SCHOOLS ‘SOUND THE ALARM’
Students encouraged to make fire safety videos
ONEIDA, N.Y. >> The city of Oneida Fire Department is challenging schools across the district to step up and sound the alarm.
“This is a challenge that the Oneida Fire Department is issuing to any elementary school in the school district,” Firefighter Jeremy Carnahan said.
Carnahan said the “Sounding the Alarm” challenge is asking teachers, principals and students to go home and make a video of themselves testing their smoke detector and emailing the video to Fire Administrator Kathy Erdo at kerdo@ oneidacity.com
Carnahan said in the United States, 3 out 5 fire facilities have no or nonworking smoke detectors.
“Our goal, since it’s Fire Prevention Month, is to get everyone to test their smoke detector and make sure it works,” Carnahan said.
Any student who submits a video gets entered into a contest for a free pizza party for their class. The Oneida City Fire Department is providing a pizza party to one class per school of the five elementary schools in the district.
“Just because we’re challenging the elementary school, it doesn’t
“Our goal, since it’s Fire Prevention Month, is to get everyone to test their smoke detector and make sure it works.”
— Firefighter Jeremy
Carnahan
mean the general public shouldn’t do the same,” Carnahan said. “They should go home, test their smoke detectors and change out the batteries if needed. This is a safety issue that we’re trying to promote and we’re trying to promote that everyone gets out of a fire alive.”
A fire doubles in size every 30 seconds, Carnahan said, and having an early warning is crucial.
Children grades pre-K-5 have until Nov. 4 at midnight to submit their videos. The winners of the contest will be announced on the City of Oneida Fire Department’s Facebook page on Nov. 8.
Check out videos of different elementary schools stepping up to Sound the Alarm at www.facebook.com/OneidaCityFireDept