To ring in the new school year, Covington Partners has teamed up with the Covington Fire Department to help provide fire prevention and safety education for students, as well as help to identify families that may be in need of smoke alarms. 

Assistant Fire Chief of Prevention and Education Greg Salmons contacted Covington Partners to collaborate in offering the Sound Off program to students in Covington Independent Public Schools. This national program will be provided to students participating in the afterschool programs in Covington to educate youth on how smoke alarms help families stay safe from home fires. In addition to fire prevention education, families in need of working smoke alarms will have the opportunity to register for an alarm. Members of the Covington Fire Department will deliver the alarms to all registered households.

One of the outcomes of the Sound Off program is to foster a community approach to fire safety by forging partnerships among students, families, educators, firefighters, and life safety educators. This was evident at several of the back-to-school events hosted by elementary schools in Covington this month where firefighters and the health and wellness coordinator with Covington Partners met with families and students about fire safety. The students loved seeing and talking with the firefighters; however, they were not the only ones who enjoyed the events. The firefighters expressed how gratifying it felt to be at the event, and with every family that registered for a smoke alarm it could potentially be a family saved. 

During the first three back-to-school events, over 35 families registered to receive a smoke alarm. The Sound Off fire safety education program will begin with students participating in the afterschool program this semester. 

Download a fire safety wall poster HERE.