Fire Safety

By STEVEN T. DENNIS Staff Writer Larry W. Craig, co-founder of Children's Village of Washington County and Washington County Crime Solvers, has been selected Washington County's Most Wonderful Citizen. "It was really a surprise. It's really gratifying," Craig said. Craig said he has no plans to stop his volunteer efforts. "I really love it. " He said the needs of children, including his own grandchildren, keep him motivated. "What you have to do is say, how much is a human life worth.

To celebrate Building Safety Month, Washington County government is launching an education campaign focusing on the hot topics in building safety, officials said in a news release. County officials will post daily safety tips on Facebook and answer “ask the expert” questions all month, the release said. In addition, the county will highlight videos that explain building codes and safe structures. Children also can participate by completing educational workbooks available at local libraries.

The Farm Safety Day Camp will be held Tuesday, Aug. 2 from 8:45 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Chambersburg Rod & Gun Club grounds. Children ages 7 to 18 years of age are welcome. They will learn about disability awareness, cooking safety, fire safety, gun safety, horse safety, lawn mower safety and sun exposure. There will be a tractor rollover demonstration and the special attraction, the Life Lion helicopter. Registration forms are available at the Franklin County Cooperative Extension office at 181 Franklin Farm Lane (stone building)

A report from the Office of the Maryland State Fire Marshal last week said fire-related deaths are on the rise statewide, but in Washington County numbers have remained low. cont. from front page Maryland State Fire Marshal Rocco J. Gabriele's report said 91 people died in Maryland fires in 1999, an increase of 17 percent over the 78 people who died in 1998. Two people died in fires in Washington County in 1999 and none in 1998, the report said. In October 1999, Harold Rudell Trout, 78, of Frederick County, died in a car fire on the shoulder of Park Hall Road near Boonsboro.

At Children's Village of Washington County, second-graders learn about 911, "Stranger Danger" and fire safety. The safety education complex, at 1546 Mount Aetna Road in Hagerstown, was established in 1991 as a not-for-profit safety education organization. While not a part of Washington County Public Schools, Children's Village receives bus transportation and curriculum support. Every second-grade student in the county spends two days of the school year at the center - one day on police safety issues, the on fire safety.

HAGERSTOWN erinc@herald-mail.com After seeing two of her neighbors lose their homes in separate fires within two weeks, Tora Kershner, 86, said she was worried, so she bought several smoke detectors. She now has eight in her home in Northaven Mobile Home Park. She was preparing to install the alarms Wednesday night when two firefighters from Maugansville Goodwill Volunteer Fire Co. knocked on her door. Lt. Joe Goodrich and Capt. Chuck Burleson installed and tested Kershner's smoke alarms, along with many others in Northaven and a neighboring mobile home park.

It happens all too often. Someone is cooking in the kitchen. Maybe the stove is too hot under the frying pan. Maybe the cook steps away "just for a second. " But the next thing you know, there's a small flame, and someone screams. OK, now freeze the scene. It's at this point, Stoyan Russell said, that things can take one of two courses. Lose your head, and you might have a tragedy unfolding. Keep your head, and you might have a minor incident. "When there's a fire, people don't think.

shappell@herald-mail.com Mike Weller is among many at the Hagerstown Fire Dept. who hope the three new trucks it recently purchased do not get much use. However, the state of Maryland has been marred by serious fires in early 2004, leading many to believe it will be the worst year ever for fire deaths and no one can pinpoint exactly why, Weller says. Weller, the department's public educator, said there has been a staggering number of serious fires both statewide and nationally during the first two months of 2004.

The piercing wail of fire sirens will sound in unison throughout Washington County on Wednesday, signaling a cooperative effort to eliminate fire deaths. All fire and rescue companies in Washington County will activate their house sirens to commemorate Fire Prevention Week at 7 p.m. When those sirens sound, families are urged to practice home fire drills, making sure each family member knows what to do and where to go in case of a fire. The Washington County Volunteer Fire and Rescue Association is encouraging the community to participate, said Doug DeHaven of the Volunteer Fire Company of Halfway.