The Barrie Fire and Emergency Service is hoping you have a wonderfully safe Christmas this year and are putting the jingle in your head to remind you.
The BFES recently released a holiday parody video of It’s The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year with the words changed to remind folks that it is also The Most Dangerous Time Of The Year. Samantha Hoffmann is the BFES public fire and life safety/information officer and said that it didn’t take too long to do mainly because so many people helped out.
“It took us about an hour to change the words, an hour of practise and then an hour to film it,” Hoffmann told BarrieToday. “Our fire prevention branch scripted the parody, I did the storyboard and we hired Don Wright from Running Rabbit productions to video it. Rolling Sands Farm graciously donated the use of their sleigh ride.”
The trend of using musical parodies by emergency personnel has been growing throughout North America with many fire, police and paramedic services hopping aboard the social media platforms at their disposal. Hoffmann said that it is crucial to use every tool they have at the BFES to get people to listen to how important the issue of safety is.
“Social media is as valuable, if not more valuable, resource for the fire service than it is for traditional brands and businesses,” said Hoffmann. “It helps humanize our firefighters and allows us to connect and converse with the general public.
"More importantly, it provides a platform for us to share fire safety information quickly and in a fun, less lecturing/threatening way. Music has frequently been used as an educational tool to improve recall of text and factual information and advertising slogans. It stimulates the brain to allow learning to be faster and can be an effective way to educate diverse audiences.”
With Christmas day only a week away, there will not only be lots of lights and candles around homes with trees and wrapping paper in the mix as well, there will also be big dinners and hot ovens and stovetops.
Hoffmann reminds everyone to be mindful of their surroundings and take a few minutes to make sure it remains a great holiday season by staying in the kitchen while cooking, installing and replacing smoke and carbon monoxide alarms, developing and practising a home fire escape plan.
“While fire can happen anywhere at any time, it most often strikes when people are distracted by the hustle and bustle of the holidays,” said Hoffmann. “A family’s holiday celebrations can turn tragic in an instant. It certainly ‘Tis the Season to be careful.”
