Governor Phil Murphy • Lt. Governor Sheila Oliver

June 23, 2014 Annual Scholastic Statewide Fire Safety Poster Contest Winners Announced

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Monday, June 23, 2014

Annual Scholastic Statewide Fire Safety Poster Contest Winners Announced

Overall Winner Graces Cover of 2015 Fire Safety Calendar

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TRENTON, N.J. – New Jersey Department of Community Affairs (DCA) Commissioner Richard E. Constable, III today announced that Brandon Matos, who attends Belleville High School in Bayonne, is the grand prize winner of the New Jersey Fire Safety Poster Contest for the 2013-2014 school year. The poster contest is cooperatively organized by the DCA’s Division of Fire Safety and the New Jersey Fire Prevention and Protection Association.

“The goal of the poster contest encouraged fire safety awareness in the home and Brandon’s poster accomplishes that,” said Commissioner Constable. “His wonderful artwork and the important message behind it will now be seen in public buildings around New Jersey. I congratulate him on a job well done.”

Matos beat approximately 8,000 other contestants and six other division winners from across New Jersey. His poster will now be distributed throughout New Jersey carrying the message of “Prevent Kitchen Fires,” which was the theme of the 2013-2014 contest. According to the US Fire Administration, cooking fires by far are the cause of most residential fires nationwide. In New Jersey, residential fires lead all categories of fire.

This year’s sponsors are Atlantic City Electric, CVS, Monmouth County Fire Prevention and Protection Association, Bergen County Fire Prevention and Protection Association, City Fire, Fire & Safety Systems Inc., the NJ Chapter of the American Fire Sprinkler Association and the Joshua Marcus Group. The contest’s winners each received MacBook Air laptops. The winning poster will be printed compliments of Atlantic City Electric and CVS.

“We are genuinely pleased once again to have conducted our annual poster contest with our partners at NJFPPA, said William Kramer, Jr. , Acting Director of the New Jersey Division of Fire Safety. “We are gratified that this year, for the second year running, the creative output of our student artists will be featured throughout the year in our 2015 Fire Safety Poster Contest calendar, which has become quite an in demand item for local jurisdictions looking to join us in promoting the idea that preventing fires is job one of the state fire service.”

This year’s division winners are:

** Denotes overall winner whose poster will be printed on the cover of the 2015 calendar.

 

The Division of Fire Safety serves as the central fire service agency in the State. The Division is responsible for the development and enforcement of the State Uniform Fire Code, as well as for implementing public education and firefighter training programs.

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