This is Fire Prevention Week, but for the Danville Fire Department it’s Fire Prevention Month. Last year, with all the COVID difficulties, all they could really do was the required October fire drills. But Chief Don McMasters says this year they’ll be visiting schools Tuesday through Friday all through October, and they’ll be visiting students all the way up through 8th grade. And that means, adjusting what is talked about depending upon the age of the kids, from not playing with matches, to safety in the kitchen for older kids doing more cooking.
AUDIO: You know we always give the kids coloring books and stuff. We’ve got some more age appropriate materials to pass out. It meets their age a little more, since we’re talking more to the older kids now. We’ve still got our old SPARKY, which is our little remote control dog that rides around in the fire truck, and he’ll be talking to kids at different age levels.
Meanwhile, it was recently announced that four Danville Fire Fighters are receiving awards for life saving efforts during a September 4th Fire. And Chief McMasters says, that’s all part of a new award system they’ve been starting up, which will include an annual banquet.
AUDIO: What we have been working on, and it has literally been ten months to a year, I’ve had individuals on the department working on starting an awards program, for morale purposes and such, to start honoring people who do special things such as that.
The four being awarded for the September 4th fire at 11 South Virginia Street are Lieutenant Chad Buskick, who will receive the department’s Medal of Honor, Firefighter Easton Hoskins, receiving a Distinguished Service Medal, and Captain Sean O’Kane and Firefighter Kaleb Thompson, who are both receiving an EMS lifesaving award.
