October was Fire Prevention Month, and the Plantation Fire Department had many activities to bring awareness to the community. One highlighted event is always the annual poster and essay contest in which neighborhood schools are encouraged to participate.
Almost 50 years ago, in 1976, Marti Terziu developed the contest as a vehicle to bring the fire prevention message home through Plantation’s school-aged children in a creative, yet educational way.
This year’s fire prevention theme “Cooking Safety Starts with You” reminds everyone to be aware of the risk of fires and how to prevent them.
“October is fire prevention month, and we get to celebrate what we do all year long,” said Deputy Chief Joel Gordon, “Here in Plantation, we partner with the schools to have students give their best interpretation of the annual theme. This year’s submissions hit it out of the park!”
“The Marti Terziu Art & Literature Contest” winners were announced and recognized at a Red-Carpet awards ceremony at the Plantation City Council meeting at the end of the month.
This year’s winners included:
- Grade K-3 Art – Ethan Hopkins from Central Park Elementary School
- Grade 4-5 Art – Mokshitha Channa, Central Park Elementary School
- Grade K-3 Literature – Spencer Glassberg, Central Park Elementary School
- Grade 4-5 Literature – Nya Brumwell, Tropical Elementary School
- Grade 4-5 Digital – Juliette Morrison, Central Park Elementary School
The key message of this year’s Fire Prevention Week campaign, is that in a fire, seconds count. Seconds can mean the difference between residents of our community escaping safely from a fire or having their lives end in tragedy.
