DURHAM, N.C. –What’s on your wish list? The Durham Fire Department wants you to know what’s on theirs through Sparky’s Wish List, a National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) partnership that links businesses and the community together to fund life-saving fire safety education materials for fire departments.
“Protecting lives through community-based fire safety education is extremely important to us,” Fire Chief Bruce Pagan said. “We want to make sure we deliver the most influential fire safety messages and educational tools which help us to do that.”
According to the NFPA, every year, fire departments in the United States respond to more than 350,000 home fires resulting in at least 2,500 deaths and more than 12,000 injuries - many of which could have been prevented with fire safety education.
"Fire safety education saves lives, but with current budget pressures, it's hard for many departments to pay for a range of educational materials," said Jim Shannon, president of the NFPA, coordinator of the program. "Sparky's Wish List: Partnering for Fire-Safe Communities is designed to help close the gap between what fire departments can afford and what they need to educate on fire safety."
The Sparky's Wish List website allows fire departments to create a profile page, identifying specific materials needed for fire education programs. Residents, businesses, and others can then visit the Durham Fire Department’s profile page by going to http://bit.ly/MHZ6zp (www.sparkyswishlist.org) to choose items to purchase from the list. Materials will be sent directly to the Durham Fire Department.
For information about participating, contact Sierra Jackson, public affairs specialist for the Durham Fire Department, at (919) 560-4233, ext. 19242 or via e-mail at Sierra.Jackson@DurhamNC.gov.
About the Durham Fire Department
The City of Durham Fire Department strives to provide a cost-effective level of service designed to protect and prevent the loss of life and property from the adverse effects of fires, medical emergencies and exposure to dangerous conditions created by either man or nature. The department offers fire education and suppression programs; enforces state and city fire codes; investigates arson and the causes of fires; provides basic training skills to recruits and in-service personnel and conducts a preventive fire maintenance program to ensure equipment is dependable and efficient. To learn more, visit www.DurhamNC.gov/Departments/Fire.