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Playground provides fire-safety message

August 2007- ONTARIO – The city of Kitchener, Ont., has taken a unique approach to fire prevention and one that catches the attention of the target audience – children. In conjunction with the Kitchener Fallen Firefighter Memorial, a fire-themed playground was dedicated and unveiled to the residents of Kitchener. The playground has components that look and feel like a real fire station, with custom built panels that have the outline of a fire station, fire trucks and, of course, the ever popular fire pole. Fire safety messages are imprinted throughout the equipment. These messages are: Stop, Drop and Roll; crawl under smoke; plan your escape, know two ways out, have practice drills;
install smoke alarms on every level of your home; when you change your clock, change your smoke alarm battery.
The  playground is a great teaching tool, especially for preschoolers, as it is usually their first encounter with fire safety education. The interactive format encourages children to explore the equipment and find the messages and is a great way to spark conversations on fire safety with family members.

The fire-themed playground was conceived as a phase-two project next to the Kitchener Fallen Firefighter Memorial, which honours the lives of firefighters who made the ultimate sacrifice, and pays special tribute to those firefighters who did that very thing on 9/11.