THUNDER BAY – NEWS – Thunder Bay Fire Rescues Public Education Officer, Anthony Stokaluk, has received a Provincial Certificate of Appreciation from St. John Ambulance for his assistance in establishing the home fire safety component in the St. John Ambulance grade 3 ‘We Can Help’ and grade 6 ‘Lifesaver’ school safety education programs. Thunder Bay Fire Rescue also supports the Camp 911 program that St. John Ambulance runs each summer.
The partnership with Thunder Bay Fire Rescue and St. John Ambulance started in January 2013, with Stokaluk and the educators of the grade 3 and grade 6 school programs working together to have home fire safety become a part of St. John Ambulance’s school safety education programs. As a result of those meetings St. John Ambulance added information about smoke alarms, carbon monoxide alarms, and home fire escape planning to the student workbooks that each student uses during the program.
“St. John Ambulance is extremely pleased to be able to present this Certificate of Appreciation to Anthony Stokaluk,” said Executive Director with St. John Ambulance Diana Sustawenko. “With Anthony’s help, children participating in the St. John Ambulance School Safety Education programs are provided the opportunity and the materials to learn lifesaving skills in home fire safety. St. John Ambulance and Thunder Bay Fire Rescue are working together to save lives at home, work and play.”
“The ‘We Can Help’ and ‘Lifesaver’ program that St. John Ambulance has allowed us to be a part of is a real compliment to the other school programs we currently have in place,” said Anthony Stokaluk, Public Education Officer. “Since 2014, we have been able to educate over 3,700 students in home fire safety through the St. John Ambulance program. This year we are on target to visit 1,900 students.”
Thunder Bay Fire Rescue is also currently completing their own ‘Adopt A School’ fire safety program which sees students in grades 1, 2 and 3 educated by firefighters about the importance of smoke and carbon monoxide alarms, home fire escape planning, how to use 911 and the dangers of smoke. The ‘Adopt A School’ program is in its fourth year and to date has educated over 9,000 students in home fire safety.
