By FireRescue1 Staff
QUINCY, Mass. — In honor of Sparky the Fire Dog’s 60th birthday, Barry Brickey, a public education officer for Kingsport, Tenn., Fire Department won the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) contest to become the next “Voice of Sparky,” the official mascot of NFPA.
Brickey’s video won him the honor when it was voted the best from 25 entries from around the firefighting community last week.
Career and volunteer firefighters as well as fire department employees submitted their Sparky impersonations, and the public voted for their favorite video submission.
“I am honored to represent the Kingsport Fire Department and the fire service as the new ‘Voice of Sparky,’” Brickey told the NFPA. “Those are very large boots to fill! I’m looking forward to helping Sparky spread the word about fire and life safety.”
Since 2006, Brickley regularly reads to children and always brings his robotic Sparky the Fire Dog, which can be seen in his video submission, to reinforce his fire safety message.
“We are excited that the public has selected Barry to be Sparky’s voice for this milestone year,” said Lorraine Carli, NFPA’s vice president of communications. “His video captured the true spirit of Sparky, and we are thrilled to have someone so passionate as the charismatic voice behind NFPA’s beloved mascot to assist in educating the public on fire safety.”
Brickey will be the voice of Sparky for 2011 and will receive an authentic Sparky the Fire Dog costume and Fire Prevention Week public education materials to continue teaching others how to prevent fires in the home.
Since Sparky’s creation 60 years ago, the number of fires and fire injuries in the US has declined, which is due in part to enhanced public education efforts. Today, approximately 3,000 people die each year because of fires and thousands are injured.