Volusia County Kicks Off National Fire Prevention Week Online

Daytona Beach, FL - Volusia County Fire Rescue (VCFR) is kicking off this year’s National Fire Prevention Week, but things will be run a bit differently this year. “This year presented some unique challenges to us as a fire prevention bureau,” said Volusia County’s fire marshal, Shane Lanoue. “Because of the pandemic, we’re not able to engage in the usual public events and traditional community outreach. We knew we had to come up with something different.” So instead of the usual fire station open houses and classroom visits from firemen, VCFR decided to move this year’s festivities online and into a virtual classroom setting featuring children’s books, online games, sing-alongs and characters such as Sparky the Fire Dog and Rover the Home Safety Hound (which can be accessed by clicking here). And, with cooking being one of the leading causes of fires and fire-related injuries, this year’s theme is "Serve Up Fire Safety in the Kitchen." “They put together a really good safety campaign,” said Volusia County Fire Chief Howard Bailey. “The trick is always to capture the kids’ attention in order to get our message through. I really believe that the interactive features of the virtual classroom that they built is really going to be effective.” National Fire Prevention Week runs from Sunday (October 4th) to Saturday (October 10th).  Unrelated to Fire Prevention Week, Volusia County Fire Rescue is also asking residents within their jurisdiction—unincorporated Volusia County and the cities of Lake Helen, Oak Hill and Pierson—to fill out a community feedback survey. The survey will be open through Halloween, click here to access it.