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Fire hall gets a new chief for a day

Mira Penney was acting fire chief on Nov. 8 after winning a colouring contest during Fire Safety Week in October.
Fire Chief for a Day 0685
After winning a colouring contest, Okotoks youth Mira Penney got to be Fire Chief for a day at the Okotoks Fire Department on Nov. 8. (BRENT CALVER/Western Wheel)

Firefighters in Okotoks had a new boss at the station on Nov. 8.

Mira Penney, who is in Grade 1 at École Percy Pegler School, won the Okotoks Fire Department’s colouring contest, which was held during Fire Safety Week in October.

Her prize? A day in the top seat at the fire hall, being Junior Fire Chief for the day.

“It’s good, but it’s hard,” said Penney.

Before coffee break she had been learning the ins and outs of fire trucks, and after a couple of Timbits she was going to supervise the crew as they removed a door from a wrecked car in the parking lot.

Later she would be instrumental in helping the fire crew build their gingerbread house for the Town’s competition.

Her highlight was getting to push buttons on the truck.

“I got to lift up the ladder,” said Penney. “I had to move and switch stuff.”

Penney was proud of the coloured picture that landed her the junior chief position for the day. She said her brother wanted to colour as well, so he had his own page – but it didn’t work out as well for him.

“My brother tried too but he’s too little because he’s three and he was like, ‘I want to write my name on this one too, scribble scrabble,’” said Penney.

Firefighter Adam McInnis was one of the guys working under Penney’s direction. He said they started with a tour of the fire hall, and then she blew them away with her knowledge.

“We showed her some fire prevention stuff and she already knew all the answers before we even taught her about it,” said McInnis.

Fire Chief Pat McIsaac said this was the first year the fire department has run the Junior Fire Chief for a Day contest, but it won’t be the last. They’re looking forward to seeing more entries next year, he said.

The contest aims to bring fire safety into the minds of Okotoks families, he said.

“The idea is to get kids talking about fire prevention in the homes, because they’re the little consciences that remind their parents to put on seatbelts and check smoke detectors,” said McIsaac.

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