Winners of the annual Fire Prevention Poster contest, shown here with Middlebury Volunteer Fire Department Chief Anthony Bruno are, left to right, Luke Brower, Nicholas Shaker, Bruno,Hector Astudillo and Lola McMahon. They are holding their award-winning posters. (Submitted photo)
Middlebury Fire Marshal Jack Proulx announced the following winners of the 2015-2016 Annual Fire Prevention Poster Contest. Cash prizes were donated by the Middlebury Volunteer Fire Department and presented to the winners by Chief Anthony Bruno at an awards ceremony held Dec. 9 at Middlebury’s Fire Headquarters.
$125 First-Place Winners
Nicholas Shaker – Fourth grade (Middlebury Elementary School)
Hector Astudillo – Fifth grade (Long Meadow Elementary School)
$75 Second-Place Winners
Lola McMahon – Fourth grade (Long Meadow Elementary School)
Luke Brower – Fifth grade (Long Meadow Elementary School)
This year students from both Middlebury Elementary and Long Meadow Elementary schools participated in the contest for a total of 186 participants.
The fourth-and fifth-grade first-place posters from each participating town will be submitted for judging at the county level. Then four winners will be selected from each county, two from fourth grade and two from fifth grade, and each will receive a $150 savings bond.
These winners will then become eligible for the state contest. One of the 32 finalists will be selected as the state winner. That student will receive an additional $750 savings bond, and their school will receive a $500 grant.
The winning poster will be reproduced and distributed as Connecticut’s official Year 2015-2016 Fire Prevention Poster. It also will be displayed at the state capital building during National Fire Prevention Month, October 2016.
The state winner will be announced in March at an awards luncheon to which all 32 finalists, their parents, teachers, principals and fire marshals are invited.
The annual Connecticut Fire Prevention Poster Contest is a cooperative effort of the Bureau of State Fire Marshals; the Connecticut Fire Marshal’s Association, the Connecticut Public Fire Education Association, and the Connecticut FAIR Plan. It is an annual event that attracts thousands of students throughout the state. Last year over 30,000 students from more than 135 communities participated. The theme for the contest is Fire Prevention Everyone/Every day.
Fire continues to be a leading cause of death and injury in the United States. Every 2½ hours, someone is killed in a home fire and thousands more are injured each year. Children are often victims of residential fires that most often happen at night. Through fire prevention education and community participation, many of these fires can be prevented.
Children are likely to retain fire safety messages. They are a valuable link in the chain of communication, taking the lesson home and promoting fire-prevention measures to the family. It is hoped that fire safety and prevention awareness will be increased through this educational program.
Proulx and the poster contest committee would like to thank Region 15, Principal Feltz, Principal Wermuth, the fourth- and fifth-grade teachers, and all of the participating students for their enthusiastic artwork and creative thinking in this very important fire prevention awareness program.
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