NEWS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
For More Information:
Chief Jason Long, Milton Fire & Rescue
812-801-5240
Jason.long@ky.gov
Milton Fire & Rescue Joins Sparky’s Wish List™
Invites Community Partners to Support Life-Saving Fire Safety Education
Milton, Kentucky, 10/8/2012 – To protect lives through community-based fire-safety education, Milton Fire & Rescue invites its neighbors to join in support of Sparky’s Wish List™. Sparky’s Wish List: Partnering for Fire-Safe Communities, a project of the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), brings Milton businesses and the community together with local fire departments to fund life-saving fire safety educational materials.
“Every year, we see fire-related injuries and deaths that might have been prevented with fire safety education, functioning smoke alarms or practiced an escape plan,” said Chief Jason Long, Milton Fire & Rescue. “Our first line of protection is educating the community. Sparky’s Wish List will allow us to work with Milton community members to provide these critical educational resources.”
The wish list website allows fire departments to create a tailored profile page, identifying the specific materials needed for local fire education programs. Residents, businesses and others can then find the pages by searching sparkyswishlist.org/Give by city and/or state to choose items to purchase from the list. Materials will be sent directly to the fire department.
"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 NFPA, the 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.”
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. In Milton alone, the Milton Fire & Rescue responded to 15 structure fires in 2011.
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