News Report

Reprinted with permission from The Morning News of Northwest Arkansas
April 4, 2000

A three-year effort by the Springdale Fire Department became a reality Thursday with the announcement of a $25,000 grant from the CommunityCare Foundation.

The CommunityCare Foundation awarded more than $1 million in grants to Northwest Arkansas organizations last week. The Springdale Fire Department was just one of its beneficiaries.

Capt. Allan Skogen drafted a grant application in January, asking for partial funding for a Scotty Fire Safety House. With the grant approved last week, the house has been ordered.

"This is something we have been working toward for three years. It is something that really teaches children about fire safety," Skogen said.

Skogen said the Fire Safety House has been ordered and is expected to be delivered in August. It is being constructed by the Scotty corporation of Pittsburgh.

Skogen said the house should arrive in time for use in tandem with the Fayetteville Fire DepartmentÕs Fire Safety House at the Washington County Fair.

The one-story miniature house will be used to teach pre-school and elementary-school children how to detect and safely escape a house fire.

It also can be used to teach kitchen fire safety to the elderly, and it is accessible to the handicapped.

Additionally, the Fire Safety House is designed to prepare children for unexpected experiences of fire. A nontoxic smoke system in the house allows children to practice crawling low in a fire.

A heated door demonstrates the need to feel doors to detect fire, and an escape ladder is used to exit the bedroom, Skogen said.

The Springdale Fire DepartmentÕs application for the Care grant stated, "Developing and practicing a home fire-escape plan is the key to survival.

"Escape plans help you get out of your home quickly. In less than 30 seconds a small flame can get completely out of control and turn into a major fire."

According to national statistics, 20 percent of all fire deaths are children. Children playing with fire have set more than 30 percent of the fires that kill children. And more than 100,000 fires are set annually by children.

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