BEDFORD- Fire prevention week is October 6-12, and the Bedford Fire Department celebrated the work of young artists from around the city who participated in their 5th Grade Poster Contest. Students were tasked with designing a poster with the theme “Smoke Alarms: Make Them Work for You.” Winners were chosen for each 5th-grade class in our local schools.
The winners are:
Dollens Elementary
- Nolan Melton
- Jolee Enochs
Lincoln Elementary
- Kadence Hendrix
- Bryer Smith
Needmore Elementary
- Levi Barger
- Amelia Johnson
Parkview Intermediate
- Barrett Hankins
- Amara Johnson
- Cutler Mitchell
Shawswick Elementary
- BraeLynn Pierce
- Devin Duffy
- Masie Johnson
Springville Community Academy
- Nash Ratkovich
St. Vincent DePaul
- Autumn Clark
The winner from LCIS asked to remain anonymous
Bedford Mayor Sam Craig, BFD Chief Luke Pinnick, Bedford Fire Inspector Shane Nolan, and State Farm Agent Brent Maudlin addressed the audience on the importance of fire prevention. “This is a special event. This is an event, when it comes down to it, that can save lives,” said Mayor Craig, “there are a lot of good posters over there on the wall, but the one that stands out to me talks about not just installing a smoke detector, but maintaining it after it is installed.” They stressed that fire prevention takes vigilance to ensure maximum safety.
The Bedford Fire Department raised funds through donations from the community to buy over 1,300 smoke detectors for those who need them, but the largest contributor was Lowe’s in Bedford. “Lowes came through in a big way and donated most of the smoke detectors,” said Shane Nolan, Bedford Fire Inspector and Fire Prevention Coordinator.
“I was just at the Boys and Girls Club,” said Mayor Craig, “and they commented on how great the program was and how good of a job everyone did, but as soon as the kids got to the club they started setting them off.”
The Bedford Fire Department has spent the last few days traveling to our local schools to spread fire prevention awareness. As a reward for the kids’ hard work on the posters, they got to ride in a fire truck!
