CARY, NC – The Town of Cary will join cities throughout the country in activities to educate citizens on and raise awareness about the importance of preparing a fire escape plan and practicing it during National Fire Prevention Week, October 8-14, 2000. This year’s theme "Fire Drills: The Great Escape" marks its third and final year after saving dozens of lives, according to reports from the National Fire Prevention Association.

To bring the national message home locally, the Cary Fire Department will sponsor a display and a series of activities at Cary Towne Center Shopping Mall to reinforce this theme, including puppet shows and the Hazard House Simulator as well as appearances by Smokey Bear and Sparky the Fire Dog as follows:

Puppets Firefighter Frank and friends will teach valuable safety behaviors through song. Lessons include Stop, Drop and Roll, Don’t Play With Matches, and Crawl Low Under Smoke. Puppet shows will take place every 45 minutes from 5:00 PM – 9:00 PM and are also available from 9:00 AM – 1:45 PM by appointment for school classes. The Hazard House simulator guides citizens through a model home and shows potential hazardous conditions that can be found in most any home. The Forest Service’s larger than life Smokey Bear and the Cary Fire Department’s Sparky the Fire Dog will be on hand in the evenings from 6:00 – 8:00 PM to promote fire safety to the kids. Sparky will visit on Monday, Wednesday and Friday; Smokey will come out on Tuesday and Thursday.

In addition, citizens everywhere are encouraged to participate personally in this year's "The Great Escape" (a.k.a. the world's largest fire drill) on Wednesday, October 11^th, at 7:00 PM. To increase interest in this topic, the NFPA is sponsoring a national home escape plan contest for kids, which offers winners a chance to win a trip to Walt Disney World in Orlando, FL.

For more information on the national fire escape plan contest, visit NFPA online at www.nfpa.org or go straight to www.firepreventionweek.org. For more information on local fire education efforts or to schedule a puppet show for a school group, contact the Town of Cary Fire Department online at www.townofcary.org or call 469-4058.

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