Oct 09, 2023

Salina second grader wins Fire Safety Poster Contest

Posted Oct 09, 2023 3:28 PM
Meadowlark Ridge Second Grader, Ellie Johnson's Fire Safety Poster was unveiled at the Salina City Commission Meeting on Oct. 2. <b>Photos by Nate King</b>
Meadowlark Ridge Second Grader, Ellie Johnson's Fire Safety Poster was unveiled at the Salina City Commission Meeting on Oct. 2. Photos by Nate King

By NATE KING
Salina Post

Oct. 8-14 marks Fire Safety Week, and Oct. is Fire Safety Month. At last week's Salina City Commission Meeting, Salina Fire Chief Tony Sneidar introduced the Grand Prize Winner of the 2023 Fire Safety Poster Contest— Ellie Johnson, Second Grader at Meadowlark Ridge.

"This is the second year of the art contest and participation has grown," Sneidar said. "Each primary school gets to pick a poster to represent their school and then they're brought to the firehouse and we all review them and we rate them and then we select one as the winner."

Johnson told Salina Post that her poster, which took two nights to complete, depicts a kitchen scene with all the safety tools needed to extinguish a fire. They include a fire extinguisher, a fire blanket, and oven gloves.

"Cooking safety starts with you!" Johnson said. 

Prior to being introduced to the City Commission, Ellie and her parents chat with Salina Fire Chief Tony Sneidar
Prior to being introduced to the City Commission, Ellie and her parents chat with Salina Fire Chief Tony Sneidar

"She's very creative and  she enjoys doing art," Johnson's mother said. "So when she told us about this, she said 'I really, really want to do it ' and we said go for it!"

Along with being named the winner of the poster contest, Johnson's class will also receive a pizza party, according to Sneidar. 

Mayor Hoppock and Chief Sneidar pose for a photo opportunity with the 2023 Fire Safety Poster contest winner, Ellie Johnson.&nbsp;
Mayor Hoppock and Chief Sneidar pose for a photo opportunity with the 2023 Fire Safety Poster contest winner, Ellie Johnson. 

Mayor Hoppock thanked Salina Fire for educating the public on fire safety and for keeping us all safe. 

Fire Safety Quick Facts

Here are a few quick facts from the proclamation read at the meeting, proclaiming October as Fire Safety Month. 

  1. Two out of every five home fires occur in the kitchen with 31% of those fires resulting from unattended cooking
  2. More than half of reported non fatal home cooking fire inuries occurred when the victims tried to fight the fire themselves 
  3. Children under 5 face a higher risk of non fire burns associated with cooking  than being burned in a cooking fire
  4. Always turn pot handles toward the back of the stove and keep a lid nearby when cooking
  5. Keep a three foot kid free zone around the stove, oven and other things that can get hot
  6. Residents who have planned and practiced a home fire escape plan are more prepared and will therfore be more likely to survive a fire
  7. Working smoke alarms cut the risk of dying in reported house fire in half 
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