A Mitchell Middle School student has won the annual fire safety contest put on by the Office of the Fire Commissioner and Firefighters Burn Fund.
Mitchell Middle School Principal Grant Plett, Firefighters Burn Fund Martin Johnson, contest winner Orianna, Hanover Fire Prevention Officer Gary Kehler and Office of the Fire Commissioner Alan Ford.
January 31 to February 6, 2016 was Burn Awareness Week in Manitoba. An estimated 9,000 children visit hospital emergency rooms each year for burn treatment with almost half of those cases being scald burns from some type of hot liquid. To educate the Manitoba students, the Office of the Fire Commissioner and Firefighters Burn Fund have an annual contest for grade five to eight students. As part of the contest, students are asked to submit an original art piece featuring a fire and burn prevention safety message.
For the last two years, Hanover Fire has visited Grunthal, Kleefeld, Bothwell, Mitchell and Blumenort schools to present this contest, opening up discussions amongst the students. The schools set aside 15 minutes per class to go over contest rules and discuss different ideas of fire prevention. Hanover Fire notes that in some classes 15 minutes is not enought time, with some discussions lasting upwards of 30 minutes.
The winner this year is Orianna, a student from the Mitchell Middle School. Orianna earned herself an Ipod touch, prizes for her class and $500 for the school. The school has some tentative plans for the money, including upgrades to their park.
