Russell Lions Club to receive Fire Safety Award

TORONTO, June 4, 2013 /CNW/ - The Russell Lions Club will receive a Fire Safety Award from the Fire Marshal's Public Fire Safety Council at a ceremony on June 12, 2013 in Toronto. The annual Fire Safety Awards recognize outstanding contributions to fire protection and prevention in Ontario.

The Russell Lions Club is a long-time supporter of the Russell Fire Department and its public education initiatives. For the past six years, they have partnered with the fire department in its fire safety checklist program, which strives to educate children and their families about the importance of working smoke alarms, carbon monoxide alarms and home fire escape planning.

Each spring, the fire department visits each classroom in the town's three elementary schools to talk to the students about fire safety and distribute the checklists. The children have approximately one week to take the checklists home and complete them with their families. The completed checklists are then entered into a ballot box in the school. One name is drawn for each of the three schools and those lucky students win a $275 store credit toward the purchase of a new bicycle.

About one-third of the checklists are completed and returned each year, which equates to almost 400 families taking steps to improve fire safety in their homes.

Over the past six years, the Russell Lions Club has provided a total of $11,000 toward the Fire Safety Checklist program.

"The Russell Lions Club is helping to make Russell a safer community for the future," said Ted Wieclawek, Ontario Fire Marshal and Chair, Fire Marshal's Public Fire Safety Council.  "Their generous support has enabled the Russell Fire Department to continue this successful initiative that helps to ensure children and their families are learning the importance of home fire safety and that they are protected by working smoke and carbon monoxide alarms."

The Fire Marshal's Public Fire Safety Council gratefully acknowledges the support of its sponsors in this event: Technical Standards and Safety Authority, The Co-operators Group, Kidde Canada Inc., Home Depot of Canada Inc., Proctor & Gamble Inc., Electrical Safety Authority, CSA Group, Enbridge Gas Distribution Inc., Roxul Inc. and Underwriters' Laboratories of Canada.

SOURCE: Fire Marshal's Public Fire Safety Council

Carol Gravelle, Office of the Fire Marshal, 416-325-3138