COLUMBUS, Ohio - The Ohio Department of Commerce Division of State Fire Marshal is proud to announce 12 winners of this year's Fire Prevention Poster Contest. The goal of the annual contest is to engage young students across the state in creating educational art pieces that promote fire safety and prevention messages.

The theme of this year's contest was "Smoke Alarms: Make Them Work for You!" which was chosen to highlight the importance of having working smoke alarms in homes. Properly working smoke alarms drastically increase the odds of escaping a home in the event of a fire. According to the National Fire Protection Association, about three out of five fire deaths happen in homes without smoke alarms or working smoke alarms.

The poster contest was open to all Ohio elementary school children and was broken up into two categories: Grades K-3 and Grades 4-6. The contest originally started last fall when students were encouraged to create posters to be displayed at their local fire departments during Fire Prevention Week, which took place Oct. 6-12, 2024. Those fire departments submitted their chosen winners to SFM, where a committee then reviewed and selected six winners in each grade category.

After much consideration, the following 12 students and their posters were selected for their creativity, fire prevention message and overall impact:

• Bailey, Grade 2, Winning Poster Suffield Elementary (Teacher: Mrs. Pavelich), Mogadore
• Emmet, Grade 3, Winning Poster Westlake Elementary (Teacher: Mrs. Kasunick), Westlake
• Leighton, Grade 3, Winning Poster Willard City Schools (Teacher: Mr. Casto), Willard
• Nia, Grade 3, Winning Poster Southway Elementary (Teacher: Mrs. Eshleman), Massillon
• Addilynn, Grade 3, Winning Poster Meadowlawn School (Teacher: Mrs. Sokol), Sandusky

• Isaac, Grade 3, Winning Poster Buckeye Central (Teacher: Mrs. Goulden), New Washington
• Deacon, Grade 4, Winning Poster Miami Trace Elementary (Teacher: Mrs. Miller), Washington Court House
• Nixon, Grade 4, Winning Poster Middlebrach Elementary (Teacher: Mrs. Tupton), Canton
• Nettie, Grade 5, Winning Poster Dan Emmet Elementary (Teacher: Mrs. Fowler), Mount Vernon
• Kaylor, Grade 5, Winning Poster Willard City Schools (Teacher: Mr. Casto), Willard
• Caroline, Grade 6, Winning Poster Notre Dame Elementary (Teacher: Mrs. Bricker), Portsmouth
• Payton, Grade 6, Winning Poster North Adams Elementary (Teacher: Ms. Cunningham), Seaman

"Congratulations to all of the winners of this year's poster contest," State Fire Marshal Kevin Reardon said. "Smoke alarms save lives, and these young artists did an outstanding job of reflecting that in their artwork. Through their work, these students are helping promote valuable fire safety education in their schools and communities."

The Division would like to thank the participating schools and fire departments for their support of fire safety education through the poster contest partnership.

For more fire prevention resources, visit the Division's website at com.ohio.gov/fire

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About the Division of State Fire Marshal

The Division of State Fire Marshal is part of the Ohio Department of Commerce. The department is Ohio's chief regulatory agency, focused on promoting prosperity and protecting what matters most to Ohioans. We ensure businesses follow the laws that help them create jobs and keep Ohioans safe. To learn more about what we do, visit our website at com.ohio.gov.