Local firefighters educate children about fire safety

For the first time in Orange County, puppets helped local firefighters and volunteers teach fire safety.

Volunteer puppeteers put on an educational show Sunday at the Chapel Hill Museum to kick off the National Fire Protection Association’s Fire Prevention Week.

The recurring performance will run at the museum on weekdays for the next few months.

“This has been a labor of love, and it’s a great way for us to reach out to the community,” said Matt Lawrence, Chapel Hill’s fire marshal and puppet performer.

“The main goal for us is to send a fire safety message to kids that is enjoyable rather than have us just preach to them.”

The museum and the Chapel Hill Fire Department have worked together for eight years to educate children about fire danger during Fire Prevention Week, which lasts through Saturday.

Sunday’s event marked the first time the program, which is funded by UNC’s Jaycee Burn Center and Firehouse Subs, included a puppet show.

The act is a culmination of nine months of planning and practicing twice each week. During the performance, popular songs like Harry Belafonte’s “Day O” play with new lyrics linking them to fire prevention and safety.

“Kids learn a lot visually and can make easy connections with the old rock ’n’ roll songs,” said museum President Stephen Rich. “It’s a great program, and the UNC burn center is trying to take it statewide.”

Now, with the inaugural performance out of the way, more than 1,000 second graders from Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools and others from Orange County will visit the museum to be educated by the puppets during the next few months. The shows will run Monday through Thursday with a rotation of 15 firefighters and volunteer performers.

“I had three songs in a row at one point, and my arm was about to fall off,” Lawrence said. “We call it puppet burn.”

After the shows, students receive Big Blue’s Book of Safety Fun, a workbook they can take home and finish with their parents. Students also will receive a certificate if they bring the workbook back to the museum or fire station after completing the word searches, mazes and safety questions inside.

“This has been a great collaboration,” said Kamie Edwards, a firefighter who performed in the show.

“You have two entities that both serve the community coming together to put this show on.”



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