Captain Bob goes high tech

Captain Bob goes high tech
By Dan Hilborn, Burnaby Now assistant editor
Published June 25, 2003


Burnaby firefighters are going high tech with the release of an interactive, digitally animated compact disc designed to teach children and their caregivers how to protect themselves in the event of a fire or other disaster.

And the Fire and Safety Challenge CD, which was completely written, designed and produced in Burnaby, will soon be offered in other municipalities around the Lower Mainland.

"Inside the home is where families can have the greatest control over the activities that lead to fire," Burnaby fire chief John Stewart at the official unveiling of the CD on Monday morning. "Unfortunately, we can't have a fire inspector in every home 24 hours a day, " he said. "But fires from these sources are preventable, and public education is one of the programs that can have an impact on this area."

The CD is designed with kids in mind. It features an animated Fire Captain Bob who offers activities and games to teach basic fire- safety knowledge and skills, and ways to detect hazards inside the home.

Kids start with a tour of the fire station - a short 15-minute video that teaches them about the dangers and hazards to watch for at home, such as candles burning without an adult in the room, use of electronics near the bathtub or heated pots with their handles turned out of the stove.

After learning the basics, kids then can test their skills in the 'house fire' section, where they try to find their safest way out of the home when the smoke alarms are ringing. The 'safety house' sections of the CD lets kids spot the dangers in a typical family home.

Finally, when the entire CD is complete and the child has correctly answered each question, they are awarded a Junior Firefighter certificate with their own name on it.

The project was developed by Capt. Jim Dixon of the Burnaby fire public education division who also co-ordinates the ongoing preschool education program and the new Grade 3 fire education program that was started this spring.

All the digital animation on the CD was created by Lieut. Ron Johnstone, a regular duty firefighter, who taught himself to draw on a computer. The voice of Captain Bob is provided by assistant fire chief Fred Scarfe, one of the official spokespeople for the city fire department.

The CD literally contains all the bells and whistles of a real fire truck - or at least the sound of the real bells, whistles and horns, which were all recorded on a laptop computer from the parking lot of the city's main fire hall.

The CD also received high praise from other fire officials around the Lower Mainland, who are hoping to be able to make the disc and the information it contains available to kids in their own jurisdictions.

"This is not just a Burnaby program," said Richmond Fire Chief Jim Hancock, chair of the Greater Vancouver Fire Chiefs Association and the regional public fire and life safety education committee.

"Kids love software and once they learn the safety messages and skills from this CD, they'll have that information for the rest of their lives," Hancock said. "We will assist in marketing this CD to at least a potential million people in the region."

The Burnaby Fire Department Fire and Safety Challenge CD is for sale at $7.50 per disc, and can be obtained by calling city hall at 604-294-7290.