Enfield Students Create Posters for Statewide Contest

For over 35 years, the Fire Departments of Enfield have teamed up with the elementary schools art department to help every 4th and 5th grade student enter the Connecticut Fair Plan’s Fire Prevention Everyone/Everyday poster contest.

Students from communities throughout the state design and produce posters. The winners from each county are exhibited in locations throughout Connecticut. From these, one poster is chosen to promote fire prevention within the state.

This year, students from St. Bernard Parochial School, Edgar H. Parkman, Prudence Crandall and Eli Whitney entered the photo contest under the direction of their teachers Maria Spielman, Eli Whitney and Parkman; Caroline Pierce, Parkman and Prudence Crandall; and Amy Kundrat, St. Bernard School.

Robert Herdman, 4th grade and Grace Herman, 5th grade from St. Bernard; Michael Foley, 4th grade and Payton Gowen 5th grade at Parkman; Reese Coffee, 4th grade and Olivia Nuccio, 5th grade from Prudence Crandall; Eva Kierstead 4th grade and Jennifer Vazquez Ramos, 5th grade entered the Town of Enfield Contest. Eva Kierstead and Jennifer Vazquez Ramos, both from Eli Whitney won the town contest advancing to state where Jennifer Vazquez Ramos was announced as one of the state winners from Hartford County.

The annual Fire Prevention Poster Contest is a cooperative effort of the office of the State Fire Marshal, Connecticut Department of Education, Connecticut Fire Marshal’s Association, Connecticut Fire Chief’s Association and the Connecticut FAIR Plan, which represents the Connecticut Insurance Industry.

For over 85 years, every U.S. President has issued a proclamation declaring a nationwide observance of Fire Prevention week in remembrance of the Great Chicago Fire of October 9, 1871 in which 300 people died and 100,000 were left homeless. Fire safety education is an important means of preventing injuries and death. The poster contest brings awareness and ways to prevent fires to children and their parents.