March 18, 2010

CITY of PUEBLO FIRE DEPARTMENT
PUBLIC INFORMATION & FIRE PREVENTION BUREAU
Contact: Fire Chief Christopher P. Riley 719-553-2830

Fire and Life Safety Program of the Year Award

Fire Chief Chris Riley is proud to announce that the City of Pueblo Fire Prevention Bureau team of Inspectors Gary Micheli and Woody Percival has received statewide recognition.

The Fire and Life Safety Educators of Colorado honored the team last Friday, March 12, with the Fire and Life Safety Program of the Year for 2009.

The award is for leading the collaborative educational effort between the Pueblo Fire Department and the U.S. Forest Service that began eight years ago. The program, called Fire Safety Inside and Out, is a large-scale annual exhibit during the Colorado State Fair. The PFD designed a “Think House,” a life-sized tent mockup of a typical home that is loaded with fire and life safety hazards. Families enter the Think House with a check-off sheet to locate and mitigate all hazards. The participants are then guided to the 911 Safety Bus for a Crawl Low in Smoke fire escape hands-on demonstration.

The USFS then educates the fairgoers on forest and wildland fire safety from inside a custom-built fire lookout tower that has become a landmark for Fair visitors.

In addition, the two agencies perform fire and life safety puppet programs adjacent to the interactive displays. “We essentially have a captive audience several times a day as folks await the next performance of the Fair’s featured entertainment”, says Gary Micheli.

The area for the program, part of Triangle Park, has been generously donated by the Colorado State Fair for more than 15 years, and has become a repeat destination for families from throughout the state while visiting the Fair in Pueblo.

Many other agencies have participated over the years, such as: Colorado State Patrol, Colorado Bureau of Investigation K-9 Unit, Drive Smart, Pueblo Police Dept, D.A.R.E., Denver Fire and Denver Children’s Hospital.

“To be recognized by our peers for this award is outstanding to say the least,” says Inspector Woody Percival.

“I have touted the effectiveness of our Fire Prevention Bureau for years now,” states Chief Riley. “Pueblo’s fire loss statistics are less than one-half of the national average, due largely in part to the fire prevention and education efforts of the City of Pueblo Fire Department. This award simply acknowledges what the citizens of Pueblo already knew.”

The Fire Prevention Bureau team is also tasked with: Public Information, Fire Code Enforcement, Fire Investigations, and Subdivision and Construction Plan Reviews.

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