October 11, 2018

CONTACT: Lindsey Wiles

Communications Manager

lwiles@mariettaga.gov

770.794.5509

MARIETTA - On Wednesday, October 10, 2018, the City Council and the Marietta Fire Department honored third grade students from local schools who participated in a poster contest as part of the nationwide Fire Prevention Week.

Fire Prevention Week was established to commemorate the Great Chicago Fire, the tragic 1871 fire that killed more than 250 people, left 100,000 homeless, destroyed more than 17,400 structures and burned more than 2,000 acres. The fire began on October 8, but continued into and did most of its damage on October 9, 1871.

Fire Prevention Week is celebrated the 2nd week of October each year to coincide with the original date of the Great Chicago Fire. Fire Prevention Week is the longest-running public health observance, according to the National Archives and Records Administration’s Library Information Center. Its intent is to keep the public informed on Fire Safety, Education and Prevention.

Third graders from Marietta City Schools submitted 267 posters during the contest. This year’s theme was “Look. Listen. Learn. Be aware. Fire can happen anywhere.”

Poster Contest Winners:

Jack Barnes, A.L. Burruss Elementary School

Karen Calderon, Dunleith Elementary School

Jacob Swofford, Hickory Hills Elementary School

Alexa Torres, Lockheed Elementary School

Allison Cruz-Garcia, Marietta Center for Advanced Academics

Mikayla Campbell, Park Street Elementary School

Hayes Brigdon, Westside Elementary School

Karla Bridget Lopez, Sawyer Road Elementary School

Grand Prize: Hayes Brigdon, Westside Elementary School