Sparky Week teaches fire safety

Published 1:30 am Thursday, May 28, 2026

FOR GENERATIONS, ONE of the surest signs of spring in Port Angeles has been the arrival of Sparky Week at the Port Angeles Fire Department.

Every May, second-grade students from across the Port Angeles School District visit the fire station for one of the department’s longest-standing community traditions.

This year, the Port Angeles Fire Department welcomed nearly 300 second-graders over four days of fire safety education, station tours and hands-on learning.

For many children, Sparky Week is their very first visit to a fire station.

It is a wonderful opportunity for them to meet their firefighters, explore fire and EMS equipment, and learn how they can stay safe in the event of a home fire.

Just as importantly, it helps children see firefighters not as strangers in bulky black bunker gear during emergencies, but as their friends, someone they can trust, who has come to help.

Few public education programs have been part of the Port Angeles Fire Department longer than Sparky Week.

The program centers around Sparky the Fire Dog, the National Fire Protection Association’s official mascot for children’s fire safety education since 1951.

Created to help make fire safety lessons approachable, memorable and informative for young children, Sparky remains one of the most recognizable fire safety icons in the country, along with Smokey the Bear, of course.

During Sparky Week, students interact with PAFD firefighters and learn fire safety skills they can use at home.

Topics include smoke alarms, home escape planning, establishing a designated meeting point, and Stop, Drop and Roll.

Students tour Station 11 and get an up-close view of station life, firefighting apparatus, tools and equipment, and, of course, meet Sparky himself, who remains one of the most popular parts of the week.

Programs like this are important because fire prevention and life-safety education are fundamental elements of a safe and resilient community.

Teaching children basic fire safety skills at a young age can help families prepare for emergencies and reduce preventable injuries.

When children share those lessons at home, encouraging parents to test smoke alarms, practice a family escape plan, and keep matches and lighters well out of reach, they are partnering with Sparky to make their homes safer.

Studies have repeatedly shown that youth fire safety programs improve a child’s ability to respond appropriately during emergencies.

Sparky Week also represents something larger within the Port Angeles community.

It reflects the longstanding partnership among the Port Angeles Fire Department, the Port Angeles School District, local teachers and families who continue to support public safety education year after year.

The Port Angeles Fire Department would like to sincerely thank the teachers, school staff, bus drivers, volunteers and families who help make this tradition possible each year.

We especially want to thank all of our second-grade junior firefighters, whose energy and excitement reminded us once again why programs like Sparky Week truly matter.

For home fire safety or public education requests, contact the Port Angeles Fire Department Fire Prevention Division at 360-417-4652

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Derrell Sharp is the chief of the Port Angeles Fire Department.