Author: Tammy Lane • First Posted: Monday, October 06, 2008

Gallery (click any photo to view the gallery)

Lt. Carrie Bowling helps fifth-grader Meredith Mason with her tie.

Meredith Mason, a fifth-grader at Athens-Chilesburg Elementary, has a busy week lined up as the town’s newest junior fire chief.

“Some of it will be work, and some will be fun,” said Lt. Carrie Bowling of the Lexington fire department.

Meredith kicked off her term Monday with a fire safety speech for fellow students in the gym. What’s the main thing this 10-year-old wants other kids to remember? “Make sure everybody gets out (of a burning house) and everybody has an escape route.”

How to prevent home fires is this year’s theme for Fire Prevention Week. Meredith’s one-page essay mentions statistics, common causes and safety pointers, such as making sure that electrical cords are in good condition.

“I hope you will remember these simple tips that could save your home and your life,” she wrote.

The universal message is one that Meredith will deliver to a variety of audiences, including the Homeland Security classes at Eastside Technical Center and the LFUCG Urban County Council, as well as other area schools throughout the year.

“When you hear the message from (another) kid, it sinks in so much better,” Bowling said.

Each year the fire department chooses a different school, and the school then selects a fifth-grader to be the junior fire chief. The criteria include a child who is comfortable in front of crowds, a model citizen and a strong student who is able to miss a few hours of school.

At Athens-Chilesburg, Principal Peggy Henderson said Meredith was an easy choice for the fifth-grade teachers. “She’s really sweet and bright and articulate,” she said Monday after Meredith received her official badge.

Among Meredith’s other opportunities as junior fire chief:

• A tour of the airport fire department;
• The Fire Prevention Festival and Parade at Cheapside Park;
• A tour of the police department headquarters and a fire station;
• A meeting with a fire inspector and his arson canine assistant;
• A stint working in the fire prevention booth at Fayette Mall;
• A tour of the Lexington Financial Center.

Meredith, who plays violin and softball and is on the school’s jump-rope team, said her favorite subjects are math and science. And her love of horses means that Friday’s tour of a horse farm likely will be her favorite activity of this jam-packed week!