Student video garners award

By Ryan Hutton, North Adams Transcript
Posted: 02/07/2009 02:01:25 PM EST

Saturday, February 7
CHESHIRE -- A group of Hoosac Valley High School students managed to take a dangerous situation and turn it into an award in the state's first Burn Awareness Week YouTube Video Contest.

Students in the school's Fire Life And Emergency Management (FLAME) class took second place in the contest sponsored by the state Department of Fire Services, the Massachusetts Association of Safety and Fire education and the Massachusetts Property Insurance Underwriting Association.

"It's called 'Hands Off Fireworks,' and it was about leaving fireworks to the pros and not doing it yourself," said FLAME student and HVHS senior Johanna Sutliff. "We had a creative angle to the video. We showed what would happen if you had an accident while playing with fireworks. (Senior) Tony (Leake) was in a wheelchair getting his diploma; we had one person missing the last dance at the prom; you couldn't shake hands, stuff like that."

The state received 18 entries from across the Commonwealth and Hoosac Valley's second-place finish means the nine students involved will get to share $100 in gift cards to Best Buy, Barnes & Noble and Circuit City.

"The whole fireworks concept came up after the Drury/Hoosac football bonfire, when the fireworks went off inside the fire," said sophomore Emily Rodowicz. "That was a big thing so we decided to educate people about the dangers."

Corey McGrath, a FLAME instructor and part of the Cheshire
Advertisement
Volunteer Fire Department, said the students took the negative of the "stupid act" at the school's bonfire in November and turned it into something positive.

"There was a box of fireworks hidden in the bonfire so we didn't see it when we inspected it. If it had tipped over, they would have shot right into the crowd," he said. "Next year, the fire department is going to be responsible for building and lighting it and then once it's lit, we'll bring everybody up to it. We certainly don't want (the bonfire) to go away."

The video took a week and a half of 48-minute classes to organize, shoot and edit. The students got some help from former Taconic High School teacher Barry Emery with the editing. FLAME student Justin Clairmont's band, Twisting Karma, supplied the music.

"I think it's pretty special," said junior Samantha Rodriguez. "Who'd have thought Hoosac Valley would get that kind of recognition?"

"We thought that, because it was the whole entire state, there would be harder competition," said Rodowicz. "I mean, we're little Adams-Cheshire and it's the whole state of Massachusetts."

Firefighter and FLAME instructor Greta Facchetti said her students worked hard to meet the contest deadline after finding out about it not long before the due date.

"I think it's awesome," she said. "Our students are great and they like taking on projects. It gives them a chance to be creative and personalize their projects. They were creative but handled it in a mature way and they did it almost all by themselves. Second place is awesome, but next year, we're going for first."

Sutliff and Hoosac senior Dakota Baker went to Boston for the award ceremony, where they watched the top six competitors' videos. Sutliff said she wasn't surprised the Hurricanes took second place.

"I think we really deserved it," she said. "The other ones were kind of weak. Theirs were more fact-heavy and we went for a more creative approach."

"I thought it was informational," junior Dylan Grimes said. "I never thought about how much it can affect you. I thought (fireworks) were fun until I saw what could happen. Not being able to embrace a child or having a weird, fake arm."

Other students involved in the project include sophomores Patton Linder, Alex Heideman and Tony Leake.

The FLAME course is entirely paid for by a $665,000 federal grant the Cheshire Volunteer Fire Department received in 2006 called the Staffing for Adequate Funding and Emergency Response grant, which is geared toward the recruitment and retention of volunteer firefighters. A portion of the funds have gone toward the FLAME program and other community outreach activities.

"I think it was awesome," McGrath said. "I'm so proud of them. None of these kids had to do it -- they wanted to, and that says something about them. In the fire service, we see a lot of terrible things and then, every once in a while, something like this happens and it makes it all worth it."

The FLAME course trains student in first responder techniques such as CPR, first aid and the used of AED or Automated External Defibrillators.

"I'm glad I took the class," said Rodriguez. "Now I'm certified in first response. I can help people if something ever happens."

McGrath said in addition to training first responders, the class has also gotten a few kids interested in joining the fire service once they graduate.

"This class is 100 percent funded by that grant and it's worth it," McGrath said. "We will have put 40 certified first responders into the community as of graduation this year. We had 11 last semester and this one has 29. Last year we put out 15, so 55 first responders in two years is good."