Junior Fire Chief helps Calgary Firefighters conduct school fire drill

Calgary Fire Chief Ken Uzeloc announced 10-year-old Sophia Ayad as the Calgary Fire Department 2014 Junior Fire Chief today at her school, Ecole De La Source. As part of her duties as Junior Fire Chief, Sophia assisted firefighters in conducting a fire drill and will help promote fire safety among her family and friends during the 2014 Fire Prevention Week.

“Sophia has been a great Junior Fire Chief,” said Fire Chief Uzeloc, who spoke to her class and presented her with the honourary Junior Fire Chief helmet. “She was very happy to be selected for the honour, and has been very enthusiastic about sharing our fire prevention and fire safety information.”

Sofia was selected as the Calgary Fire Department 2014 Junior Fire Chief after entering her name in a draw among other grade five students in Calgary. The Fire Department annually selects a grade five student to act as Junior Fire Chief for one day during Fire Prevention Week. The selected Junior Fire Chief also joins their family for a ride in a fire truck and has lunch at a nearby fire station with the crew before going back to school.

Sophia said it was “super awesome” to be selected as the Junior Fire Chief. “I was really excited because I want to be a firefighter.”

The Fire Department is holding several events to promote the 2014 Fire Prevention Week and this year’s theme, “Smoke alarms save lives. Test yours every month.” Tomorrow the Fire Department is hosting their Recognition Luncheon, to recognize 16 Calgarians for heroic actions, helping others at an emergency situation attended by the Fire Department. On Wednesday evening, Oct. 8, the Fire Department will be going door-to-door in Martindale for their annual Smoke Alarm Blitz, and on Friday, Oct. 10, fire trucks will visit local Safeway stores to share fire prevention and fire safety information with Thanksgiving shoppers.

Fire Prevention Week was proclaimed in Canada in 1919 to commemorate the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, as well as a major fire that destroyed the Centre Block of the Parliament buildings in Ottawa on February 3, 1916. More information about the Calgary Fire Department 2014 Fire Prevention Week, sponsored by Safeway, can be found at www.calgary.ca/fire and on Facebook.

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