Castle Rock Fire and Rescue showcases student art, promotes battery safety

Castle Rock Fire and Rescue concluded its annual student art contest on December 23 with visits to the winning young artists at their schools. Fire Chief Norris Croom selected five winners from Castle Rock third grade through sixth grade classrooms after students responded to this year’s National Fire Protection Association aligned theme Charge into Fire Safety, Lithium Ion Batteries in Your Home.

Fire crews made classroom presentations, posed for pictures, and delivered treats for each winner’s classmates as part of the department visit. Students also met Sparky the Fire Dog during the events. The department announced that all winning artwork will be displayed on the sides of fire and rescue vehicles for the next year, a visible public education tool intended to reinforce safe practices around household electronics and rechargeable devices.

The five winning students are Emma Houston, fifth grade, Cecelia Randazzo, fourth grade, and Shayleigh Staehlin, sixth grade, all from Clear Sky Elementary. Catalina Tano, third grade, represents Flagstone Elementary. Grace Varanasi, fourth grade, is the winner from World Compass Academy. The selections recognize creative contributions from local children and amplify a specific safety message about lithium ion battery risks and prevention.

For Douglas County residents the program serves two functions. It delivers age appropriate safety education directly to schoolchildren and it converts student creativity into a year long public awareness campaign by placing artwork on emergency vehicles that travel through neighborhoods. Those vehicles will carry a consistent safety reminder visible to drivers, pedestrians, and families, reinforcing prevention messages beyond classroom walls.

At an institutional level the contest illustrates how the fire department uses outreach as a core strategy to reduce incidents. Preventive education can influence emergency call volumes, resource allocation, and local expectations of fire services. The visibility of the program may affect civic engagement around budget priorities as elected officials and voters consider funding for community based prevention versus emergency response. As winter holiday use of portable chargers and batteries increases, the department’s initiative connects school outreach with practical safety steps residents can take at home.