Donning a pint-sized firefighter’s uniform and a hard hat, six-year-old Mackenzie Byatt, got a chance to be Jasper’s fire chief for a day, Oct. 29.
The day began with a tour of the fire hall and some light chores with Fire Chief Greg Van Tighem, followed by a lunch at the Athabasca Hotel with her parents. After lunch she got to ride shotgun in the ladder truck and take a tour of town.
“It was fun,” said Byatt, holding a stuffed polar bear she affectionately named Sparky.
Byatt won the chance to be chief for the day after creating a fire escape plan for her family during Fire Prevention Week last month. She also made sure to check her family’s smoke alarms and practice the escape plan with them.
“It’s really important you have working smoke alarms and you have an escape plan so that in the event of an emergency everybody knows what to do,” said Van Tighem.
Byatt’s name was drawn from a pool of students at Jasper Elementary School who completed their fire escape plans last month.
Along with her tour of the fire hall, Byatt also took home a goody bag full of surprises, including her new friend Sparky the polar bear.
Her name will also be put on a plaque that will be showcased at the school until next year’s winner is announced.
“She really enjoyed it,” said Neil Byatt, Mackenzie’s father.
“She’s been excited right from day one and we want to say a big thank you to Greg and the AthaB for first of all letting Mackenzie have a really fun day, but also letting people know how important it is to develop an escape plan,” said Neil.
This is the 16th annual year the contest has been held. It is sponsored by the Athabasca Hotel.
