| Please see below for the winners of the 2014 Fire Prevention Poster Contest and the 2014 Public Fire Educator of the Year. Letters with additional details will be sent out to the winners later this week. Thank you to everyone who particpated in these important programs. We had great entries submitted for both categories and our judging panels had quite a task on their hands. Congratulations to all statewide winners!
State Fire Marshal’s Office Announces 2014 Poster Contest Winners & Public Fire Educator of the Year
Nashville, TN – The Tennessee State Fire Marshal’s Office (SFMO) is recognizing the statewide winners of the 2014 Fire Prevention Poster Contest and the 2014 Public Fire Educator of the Year. The winners will be honored at an awards event on Sat., Jan. 31, 2015 at the Tennessee Fire Service and Codes Enforcement Academy in Bell Buckle, Tenn.
The poster contest is a longstanding annual event used by the SFMO to highlight and promote fire safety awareness throughout Tennessee schools. This year’s poster contest theme was “Smoke Alarms Save Lives: Test Yours Every Month” and it corresponded with the National Fire Protection Association’s Fire Prevention Week campaign. This year’s theme was especially pertinent as 70% of fatal fires in Tennessee last year occurred in homes with no smoke alarm or no working smoke alarm.
“Programs like this are a fun and effective way to get students educated about fire safety,” said Commissioner of Commerce and Insurance and State Fire Marshal Julie Mix McPeak. “The safety lessons they learn from working on these projects are often spread to their parents and siblings.”
Starting in August, students from across the state in kindergarten through 12th grade began creating posters to illustrate the importance of working smoke alarms. Local fire departments sponsored the contest in schools from their districts and judged a winner from each grade. The local winners were then sent to the SFMO in Nashville for final judging. The SFMO received 280 poster entries this year from 103 different schools. The winners were selected by a panel of experts who generously volunteered their time: James Wells of the Tennessee Arts Commission; Gary Tisdale of Midtown Gallery; and Shaun Giles of the Frist Center for the Visual Arts.
The statewide winners are:
Special Needs Division I (K – 5th)
Zachary Sonnen
Dyersburg Intermediate School
Sponsor: Dyersburg Fire Department
Special Needs Division II (6th – 12th)
Holly Tinsley
Bartlett High School
Sponsor: Bartlett Fire Department
Kindergarten
Olivia Bynum
Malesus Elementary School
Sponsor: Jackson Fire Department
1st Grade
Emily Williams
Pleasant View Elementary School
Sponsor: Pleasant View Vol. Fire Department
2nd Grade
Jordan Lewin
Crosswind Elementary School
Sponsor: Collierville Fire & Rescue
3rd Grade
Mason Booker
Allen Elementary School
Sponsor: Soddy Daisy Fire Department
4th Grade
Cade Glisson
Catlettsburg Elementary School
Sponsor: Sevierville Fire Department
5th Grade
Mason Clifton
The Discovery School
Sponsor: Dickson Fire Department
6th Grade
Cole Waycaster
Collierville Middle School
Sponsor: Collierville Fire & Rescue
7th Grade
Jamey Ryan
Collierville Middle School
Sponsor: Collierville Fire & Rescue
8th Grade
Cody Hodge
Cascade Middle School
Sponsor: Bell Buckle Vol. Fire Department
9th Grade
Elizabeth Hoilmen
Boyd-Buchanan School
Sponsor: Chattanooga Fire Department
10th Grade
Tate Hill
Arlington High School
Sponsor: Arlington Fire Department
11th Grade
Brandon Yontz
New Directions Academy
Sponsor: Charlotte Vol. Fire Department
12th Grade
Hayley Boggs
Boyd-Buchanan School
Sponsor: Chattanooga Fire Department
Commissioner’s Choice Award
Kaylee Simmons
Greenfield Junior High School
Sponsor: Greenfield Fire Department
The winners will each receive a $50 prize check and a certificate of achievement signed by Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam. You can view the winning posters here: http://www.tn.gov/fire/documents/posterwinners.pdf
In addition to the poster contest winners, we are also pleased to announce that the Germantown Fire Department Learning About Fire Safety (LAFS) Clown Troupe has been selected as the 2014 Public Fire Educator of the Year award recipients.
The LAFS troupe is comprised of Germantown firefighters who volunteer to assist with teaching fire safety to the community in a way that is both fun and informative. They design and produce new props and programs each year based on popular trends and characters. The clowns have completed “Educational Characterization through Clowning Academy” (aka Clown School) in Arizona to learn proper clown techniques, attire, and makeup. In addition to the clowns, team members also assist with set preparation and audio visual effects. By using entertainment, the LAFS troupe has been successful in educating audiences of all ages on key fire safety messages.
The LAFS team is led by Fire Marshal Jody Dwyer and includes Greg Strawn, Danny Hopper, Joe Bagwell, Gino Dell-Oso, Mike Hobson, Keith Saunders, Howard Thompson, Kelly White, J.R. Richardson, Daren Sirayathom, and Zack Thom.
The LAFS troupe will also be honored at the Jan. 31st awards event with a plaque and certificates signed by Gov. Bill Haslam.
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The Division of Fire Prevention works to protect consumers while ensuring fair competition for industries and professionals who do business in Tennessee. The division, which is part of the Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance, includes the state’s building and safety codes enforcement operations, as well as arson and explosives investigations. The division also conducts consumer and children’s fire safety education programs across Tennessee.
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