News & Articles from Mobile Concepts

SCOTTY Saves - Greensboro, North Carolina

In the past five years, the fire safety education program of the Pinecroft Sedgefield Fire Department in Greensboro, North Carolina has an incredible two saves to its credit. And now, thanks to a 2006 FEMA fire safety grant, the department was able to purchase a new SCOTTY Fire Safety House to add to its distinguished fire safety education program.

About five years ago, Daija Ervin, a 7- year-old Greensboro resident, remembered the fire safety lessons she received at Sumner Elementary School from Pinecroft Sedgefield Captain Ken Gray. The little girl was spending the night at her aunt's house when she awoke in a smoke-filled living room.  

The aunt had accidentally left the stove on while boiling baby bottles. Daija, calmly and quickly, got her sister, aunt and her aunt's baby out of the house. She received an award from the fire department and told a local reporter that, Young people can save big people, too. 

Six-year-old Chase Tomlinson was at home with his older sister when the smoke detector went off. Chase went to investigate and saw that an unattended frying pan on the stove had caught fire. He immediately got down on his hands and knees and crawled out of the house. He then ran to a neighbor's house to call 9-1-1.

Chase received his fire safety training at Millis Road Elementary School on April 28, 2006. Twelve days later, he had to put into action what he had learned.

Chase also received recognition from the department, the local newspaper, and the local Fox News Channel.

Captain Gray said the department's fire safety education program goes out to the schools five times a year. We do between 80 and 90 individual programs a year and see 10,000 students and adults, he said. We have about 30 firefighters who help with the program. Most of them are volunteers.  

The fire safety house will enable the program to go mobile when and wherever, Gray added. Once we receive our fire safety house in February 2007, we can go to the schools anytime we want, he said. We've gotten together with our local high school and developed a program in which high school students will volunteer to help us teach the youngsters in the elementary schools. This new program means more firefighters can stay at the station to handle emergencies and high school students will be trained in fire safety education. The high school students will also learn about volunteerism and the youngsters will learn from the high school students they look up to, said Gray. It benefits everybody.

FEMA awarded the Pinecroft Sedgefield Fire Department $64,000 during the third round of grants this year. We tried for two years to get a FEMA grant, Gray said. I think they were impressed with our fire safety program.

In the past five years, the fire safety education program of the Pinecroft Sedgefield Fire Department in Greensboro, North Carolina has an incredible two saves to its credit. And now, thanks to a 2006 FEMA fire safety grant, the department was able to purchase a new SCOTTY Fire Safety House to add to its distinguished fire safety education program.
 
About five years ago, Daija Ervin, a 7- year-old Greensboro resident, remembered the fire safety lessons she received at Sumner Elementary School from Pinecroft Sedgefield Captain Ken Gray. The little girl was spending the night at her aunt's house when she awoke in a smoke-filled living room.
 
The aunt had accidentally left the stove on while boiling baby bottles. Daija, calmly and quickly, got her sister, aunt and her aunt's baby out of the house. She received an award from the fire department and told a local reporter that, Young people can save big people, too.
 
Six-year-old Chase Tomlinson was at home with his older sister when the smoke detector went off. Chase went to investigate and saw that an unattended frying pan on the stove had caught fire. He immediately got down on his hands and knees and crawled out of the house. He then ran to a neighbor's house to call 9-1-1.
 
Chase received his fire safety training at Millis Road Elementary School on April 28, 2006. Twelve days later, he had to put into action what he had learned.
 
Chase also received recognition from the department, the local newspaper, and the local Fox News Channel.
 
Captain Gray said the department's fire safety education program goes out to the schools five times a year. We do between 80 and 90 individual programs a year and see 10,000 students and adults, he said. We have about 30 firefighters who help with the program. Most of them are volunteers.
 
The fire safety house will enable the program to go mobile when and wherever, Gray added. Once we receive our fire safety house in February 2007, we can go to the schools anytime we want, he said. We've gotten together with our local high school and developed a program in which high school students will volunteer to help us teach the youngsters in the elementary schools. This new program means more firefighters can stay at the station to handle emergencies and high school students will be trained in fire safety education. The high school students will also learn about volunteerism and the youngsters will learn from the high school students they look up to, said Gray. It benefits everybody.
 
FEMA awarded the Pinecroft Sedgefield Fire Department $64,000 during the third round of grants this year. We tried for two years to get a FEMA grant, Gray said. I think they were impressed with our fire safety program.

Return to Top