Blue Jays swing fire safety messages

Greater Sudbury's firefighters are stepping up to the plate in an effort to deliver fire safety messages through the use of Toronto Blue Jays baseball cards.

These aren't typical baseball cards, though. The backs of the cards have fire safety messages written on them.

The Toronto Blue Jays partnered with the Ontario Fire Marshal's Office and the Ontario Association of Fire Chiefs to produce the cards as part of the Swing into Summer Safety campaign.

“It's great the Blue Jays partnered up with us,” Mitch Theriault, senior public safety officer with the Greater Sudbury Fire Services, said.

“As much as I might want to think I'm a celebrity, the kids don't want to listen to me. If you've got a Blue Jay telling them a great message, they just listen so much better. It's coming from somebody they actually look up to.”

Greater Sudbury is one of six cities in the province where the cards are being handed out.

“The Toronto Blue Jays are pleased to continue our partnership with the brave men and women of the Ontario Fire Services on a campaign that educates and reinforces the importance of fire safety awareness for youth and families,” Paul Beeston, president and CEO of the Toronto Blue Jays, said in a press release.

Given the dry conditions which have led to forest fires in the northeast, as well as a recent rash of intentionally set fires, it's important to stress the importance of fire safety to youth, Fire Chief Dan Stack said.

The fire department has visited several local schools over the last few weeks to talk to students about the consequences of lighting fires.

“There's pretty big reprecussions for those type of situations,” he said. “Sometimes they think it's a fun thing, but it's not a fun thing.”

The Grade 4/5 class at St. David Catholic Elementary School was on hand at the downtown fire station for the launch of the Swing into Summer Safety campaign.

Besides receiving packs of baseball cards, the students received a number of items, including smoke alarms and Swing into Summer Safety T-shirts.

Tera Theriault, the school's child and youth worker, said she thinks the campaign is a great initiative.

“All of our kids know who the Blue Jays are, and they're very influential for us,” she said. “It's a neat, different kind of way to get the fire safety messages across.”

There's no doubt in Grade 5 student Sequoia Wemigwans' mind about the importance of fire safety.

“I think it's really important to learn (fire safety) because just in case something bad happens, you'd know what to do,” she said.

She said she thinks it's “really generous” of the Blue Jays to give away baseball cards.

Posted by Arron Pickard