Ephrata students leave messages for safety

Fire dept. expands safety program

EPHRATA - You might hear a familiar voice if you call the Ephrata Fire Department in a few weeks and agree to be put on hold.

A voice belonging to one of about 20 fourth-graders from Cindy Williams' class at Grant Elementary School in Ephrata will remind you to be safe.

"Every day, people pay a price for speeding," said 10-year-old Hailey Bockman. "Are you really in that much of a hurry?"

Bockman and her classmates recorded safety messages at KULE Radio, 730 AM or 92.3 FM, this week for the fire department's phone system.

Ephrata fire officials are trying to expand their fire safety education program by including younger ages, said Chelsey Key, a department spokesperson and public educator.

"There's something about a child's voice that draws them in," Key said.

It's because children can attract the attention of their peers and parents, she said.

The fire department wants to bring new third or fourth-grade students to the station every month to renew the messages, she said.

Their messages will include reminders to quit speeding and throwing cigarettes out windows, she said.

"We're just mainly trying to cover problems we have mostly in that area," Key said. The department also researched safety problems found statewide.

Brian Slater, a public educator with the department, said he found kids are more trainable than adults while working at his last department in Chehalis.

"When kids learn safety, they grow up with it," he said.

Brooke Burns, 9, said she and other students practiced their messages together at school. This week's recordings were a first for her, but she wasn't nervous, she said.

The messages will also be played on the air as public service announcements after they're pieced together, said Tom Vinup, the station's program director.