FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 2, 2008

RURAL/METRO FIRE DEPARTMENT AND THE KNOX COUNTY FIRE BUREAU PRESENT THE FIRST ANNUAL FIRE SAFETY FALL FESTIVAL

The Rural/Metro Fire Department and the Knox County Fire Bureau will present the First Annual Fire Safety Fall Festival at Powell High School from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 11.

The festival will feature educational fire demonstrations and fire safety presentations, delivered in a fair-like atmosphere with games, prizes and food. Families will learn how to make their own fire escape plan, how to use a fire extinguisher, how to evacuate during a house fire, and numerous fire prevention tips.

“We care for our community and want to keep citizens safe from harm,” said Bill Kear, Rural/Metro Fire Department’s fire prevention officer. “By educating our community to prevent and prepare for fire emergencies, lives are saved before the alarm ever rings.”

The festival is a component of Fire Prevention Week, a national campaign scheduled to commemorate the Great Chicago Fire in October 1871. The fire killed more than 240 people and left hundreds of thousands more homeless. New fire safety codes and public awareness campaigns, such as Fire Prevention Week, were created after the tragedy.

Rural/Metro of Tennessee is the largest emergency service provider in East Tennessee, with a combined work force of more than 500 firefighters, paramedics, EMTs, telecommunicators and other support personnel. Rural/Metro Ambulance Service is the only accredited provider in the state, with contracts for 911 service in Knox, Blount, Loudon and Franklin counties. Rural/Metro Fire Department is the third largest in the state and has provided fire protection for Knox County since 1977. Rural/Metro Corporation provides emergency and non-emergency medical transportation, fire protection, and other safety services in 22 states and approximately 365 communities throughout the United States.

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