I’ve been talking about fire safety in different ways all week. Fire Prevention Week shouldn’t be the only time you talk about fire safety, of course. Using the storybooks that I mentioned and others like them is a good way to keep fire safety part of your year round discussion. A book specifically dedicated to fire safety is also a good way to make sure your family knows what to do if a fire emergency occurs at your house.
Enter: Sparkles the Fire Safety Dog by Firefighter Dayna Hilton.
I “met” Firefighter Dayna and Sparkles online shortly after Stop, Drop and Blog was launched. Hailing from Arkansas, they teach their local children about fire safety through their fire department. They don’t stop there! If you have Sprout, the PBS channel for kids, you might have seen a mention or two (or more) about Sparkles this week. They’re serious (and fun) about spreading the message of fire safety.
That’s why they sent us their book to read. I’ll be honest; I love the book. What says firefighter more than a dalmatian on a fire truck? The pictures are bright, vivid and go with the descriptive information on the page. The book teaches children (and parents) to know the sound of their smoke alarm, how to get out of the house (go low under smoke), to have a plan and a preset meeting place outside and, which is a very important thing, not to be afraid of firefighters. One of our adult friends admits that he was afraid of firefighters when he was a kid. Not good! We need to teach our children that firefighters are our friends and that if they show up, they’re only there to help!
If your kid are like mine, they might also like the audio book which includes Sparkles’ theme song! Fun!
I just can’t stress the importance of teaching fire safety at home with your own children. Yes, your schools likely did a lesson or more on fire safety this week. Next week they’ll be on to something else. Your children need to know how to get out of your house in various ways. Your children need to know the sound of your own smoke detector. Your children need to know that you know all of this as well.
And that’s why we’re giving away two copies of Sparkles the Fire Safety Dog, the audio book, some cards with Sparkles picture and a First Alert smoke detector pack. What all is included?
Two winners will receive a copy of Sparkles the Fire Safety Dog book and audio books by Firehouse Dog Publishing. This fun and educationally sound book is autographed by Firefighter Dayna and “pawed” by Sparkles the Fire Safety Dog. To date, the book has been credited with saving the lives of two children and their families. Inspired by her work as a firefighter and by the love of her four-legged friend, Firefighter Dayna set out to create a heart-warming story about Sparkles.
Through the book, children learn the adventures of Sparkles the Fire Safety Dog while at the same time learn valuable fire safety tips, which empower them to stay fire safe in case of fire. These tips include, (a) recognizing the firefighter as a helper and a friend, (b) knowing the sound and purpose of a smoke alarm, (c) learning how to crawl low under smoke, and (d) understanding the importance of practicing a home fire drill using an escape map. Sparkles the Fire Safety Dog is based on the latest fire safety research for young children by Oklahoma State University’s Fire Protection Publications.
The winner will also receive life saving products from First Alert, including a smoke alarm, carbon monoxide alarm, Tundra™ Fire Extinguishing Spray and two-story escape ladder. Prize package value $135.00.
That’s a big prize pack! How do you enter?
1. Leave a comment on this post telling me your kids’ ages and what they know about fire safety as of yet. You may do this once.
Bonus entries:
2. Copy/paste the following in your twitter stream: Win a fire safety prize pack worth over $135 with @FireMom and @sparklestfsd: bit.ly/sU2XO …Be sure to leave a comment here in case I miss your tweet! You may do this as many times as you think your followers will tolerate!
3. Blog about this giveaway on your public blog, linking back to this post. Leave a comment here with your URL so I can be sure to find it.
Restrictions: Limited to US residents.
The giveaway will be open until October 23, 2009 at noon. The winner will be pulled via random.org and contacted via email. You will have 24 hours to respond or I will pull a new winner.
If you’ve learned anything this week on Stop, Drop & Blog I hope that it is that fire safety is both important and easy for you to teach at home. If you ever have any questions about fire safety and kids, please don’t hesitate to ask. In the meantime, best of luck in this giveaway!
(Our winners were Jennifer and Mandy. We had two Mandy-entrants. I linked to avoid confusion. They have been emailed!)
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Disclosure: I received a free copy of the book and the CD. We would have posted this giveaway without such a thing as we have been fans of Sparkles for years!
I’ve told you before how I view FireDad as one of my heroes. I’ve written about how he was 
As we’re hoping to spread word about this contest, we’re hosting a little giveaway here on Stop, Drop and Blog. You can win an Applebee’s prize pack with a few things (an aromatherapy ball, lip balm, cookie butter, pen, photo holder, calculator, stress apple and some other stuff). How to win?