New education tool kicks off Fire Prevention Week in Edmonton

Staying Alive, an organization dedicated to teaching fire safety to children, has launched a new educational tool in Edmonton called a ‘Public Service Announcement (PSA).’
The launch of the PSA coincides with National Fire Safety Week, held from Oct. 8-14.
The bilingual, 30-second PSA was launched on Oct. 6 at Michael A. Kosteck School in Edmonton, where Grade 5 students gathered to learn about fire safety procedures from Winnipeg firefighter and Staying Alive founder Shane Ferguson.
“In the midst of smoke and flames, a child’s first instinct is to hide in a closet or under a bed, making it difficult for rescuers to get them out safely,” Ferguson said. “This Public Service Announcement is a fun way for youngsters to learn the importance of having a home escape plan, and the proper way to react when the fire alarm sounds.”
With the support of The Co-operators, Staying Alive has produced a variety of educational material for children including The Great Escape, an interactive computer game that teaches children how to make their way out of their home safely in the event of a fire.
Designed to build upon the success of The Great Escape, and featuring the same animated lobster who stars in the game, the PSA has been distributed to every television station in Canada.
More than 100,000 copies of the game have been distributed free of charge in 32 countries. The Co-operators has picked up the tab for the production and distribution costs of both the game and the PSA.
“We are proud to support the great work Shane is doing to protect the most vulnerable in our communities – our children,” The Co-operators president and CEO Kathy Bardswick said in a press release. “If a single child is encouraged to practise proper fire safety procedures because of this PSA, it will have been a great success.”