Johnson County (Ark.) Rural Fire District #1 Public Fire and Life Safety Educator Dayna Hilton, the recipient the National Volunteer Fire Council's 2006 Fire Prevention Award, will be sharing fire safety tips on PBS KIDS Sprout during Fire Prevention Week in October. Hilton will appear in several 90-second segments to air in conjunction with the launch of the new Sprout series Fireman Sam.

Fireman Sam is designed to communicate valuable lessons for children regarding fire safety and social responsibilities for the community. It will air weekend mornings on PBS KIDS Sprout. As part of the launch for the program, Sprout will air Hilton's “Fire Safety Tips” segments four times a day during Fire Prevention Week (Oct. 8-14) and continuing through the launch of Fireman Sam on Oct. 14 and 15. The segments will feature several important fire safety messages for preschool-age children, and Hilton also will talk about fire equipment and the firefighting profession.

“I am excited to have the opportunity to share fire safety messages with so many children and their caregivers,” said Hilton. “According to the U.S. Fire Administration, the very young — those under 5 — have a much greater risk of death than other children. In fact, that age group accounts for 12% of fire related deaths, the highest proportion for any age group.”

Hilton also manages the Johnson County department's successful Fire Corps program. Thanks in part to the efforts of Hilton, the rest of the department's firefighters and the Fire Corps team, Johnson County experienced a 34% decrease in fire-related residential property losses between 2004 and 2005.

“It is very important to teach children fire safety at an early age, and I applaud PBS KIDS Sprout for their efforts,” said NVFC Chairman Philip C. Stittleburg. “Dayna is the perfect choice to deliver the Fire Safety Tips segments. Her dedication to fire safety, along with her enthusiasm and knowledge, make her ideal for this project.”