Keep your family safe and warm

It's the time of year in our part of the country where we make some extra efforts to keep our homes warm and cozy. Plugging in the space heater or starting up the fireplace might be just enough to take the chill out of the air.

The Carpentersville Fire Department hopes that residents take the necessary precautions to make sure warm and cozy doesn't turn into smoke and flames. Measures such as installing smoke alarms and monitoring open flames are important ways to prevent such an emergency.

But equally important is your family's escape plan in the event that a fire does start in your home. The National Fire Protection Association says that fire can spread so rapidly that you may have as little as two minutes to escape once your alarm sounds. Knowing what to do and where to go in advance can help save lives.

That's why, in the early months of each new school year, firefighters from the Carpentersville Fire Department visit area schools to teach students about fire safety. It is also why they hold their annual Fire Prevention Essay and Poster Contest.

This year, Fire Chief John Schuldt said the department received approximately 60 entries in the essay contest and over 1,100 entries in the poster contest. Department firefighters served as the judges. This year's theme was "Practice Your Escape Plan."

In late October or early November, the fire department sends each school a letter asking them to participate in the contests.

"The teachers give the students time in class to make the posters. The essay contest goes basically the same way. We pick them up and judge them and we give trophies for first, second, and third place at a village board meeting. We then post them in Village Hall for a week," said Schuldt.

The overall winner of this year's poster contest is Colton Thomas, who is in fifth grade at Liberty Elementary School. Colton's poster will be on the cover of the Fire Department's annual report that is provided to the community.

Colton's poster features a 3-D model of a fire truck and a small recording device that plays a message in his own voice.

"It had some really neat components and you could tell that he put a lot of time into it. As they came in we looked through all of them and that one stood out right away," said Liberty Principal Kristin Corriveau.

Colton is a veteran of the poster contest, having participated in each grade so far. He even won first place in first grade, and second place in second grade. He said he was "really happy" when he found out he won overall this year.

"I have a house and a three dimensional fire truck coming up out of the paper," described Colton. "One of my friends was doing three dimensionals, so that gave me the idea to do it. I used a half of a tissue box with paper over it for the fire truck. I put 'Practice Your Escape Route So You're Ready For the Real Thing.'

"The sound effects are on the left side behind the paper and you have to push a button on the front. It says 'I remembered my escape plan.'"

Extra touches include toothpicks for the ladder, dyed marshmallows for the sirens, and three dimensional flames made of layered paper.

Colton's mother, Heather Thomas, describes her son as a really good artist and a perfectionist.

"The first time he won I cried," she laughed. Ever since the first time he saw the trophy for the overall winner, he's wanted to win it.

"So it was a really big deal for him to win the overall," she said. "I'm very proud."

The additional poster contest winners come from Liberty, Parkview, and Golfview Elementary schools.

In the first grade winners are: Jatzary Salazar, Liberty, first place; Killian Delaney, Parkview, second place; Stephanie Carreno, Liberty, third place; and Christian Salazar Espinoza, Liberty, fourth place.

The second grade winners are: Dasuni Dharmaratne, Parkview, first place; Camila Barrientos, Parkview, second place; Yesenia Zuniga, Parkview, third place; Nicholas Bellizzi, Liberty, fourth place.

Third grade winners are: Alexander Traut, Liberty, first place; Mario Solano, Golfview, second place; Genesis Rosiles, Golfview, third place; and Christopher Rosas, Golfview, fourth place.

In the fourth grade winners are: Tiffany Jonsson, Liberty, first place; Alysson Reformado, Liberty, second place; Mary Pedraza, Liberty, third place; and Myranda Richied, Liberty, fourth place.

And the fifth grade winners are: Amy DeLatorre, Liberty, first place; Brandon Vonboeckmann, Liberty, second place; Brianna Montgomery, Liberty, third place; Justin Penamante, Liberty, fourth place.

The essay winners are all in the sixth grade at Lakewood Middle School. They are: Tiffany Banuelos, first place; Jazzlyn Smith, second place; Jacob Hackman, third place; and Justice Robinson, fourth place.

If you have any news about your club, school, church, business, neighbor, or even yourself, please contact Kirstin Finneran by cell at (312) 518-4993 or e-mail at kirstinfinneran@comcast.net.