Beepa celebrating its third birthday

Sarah Barclay proudly displays a stuffed version of Beepa, the province’s new fire safety mascot. She had the idea for the mascot to replace Sparky, the American mascot for fire safety. (Jeff Helsdon Photo)

Jeff Helsdon, Editor

Beepa, the province’s fire safety mascot, is celebrating its third birthday.

If Beepa had a birth certificate, it would list Tillsonburg as its place of birth. Modeled after a smoke and carbon monoxide detector outfitted in firefighter bunker gear, Beepa is more than just a feel-good fuzzy mascot – pushing its nose sets off warnings similar to a detector going off.

The concept for Beepa came from Sarah Barclay, Tillsonburg’s fire prevention officer and fire educator. She envisioned an interactive mascot to help teach children about fire safety.

Beepa’s roots are all Tillsonburg. While at a conference, her colleagues recognized Tillsonburg native Jamie Kovacs, executive director of the Fire Marshal’s Public Fire Safety Council, and convinced her to share her vision.

The result was a smoke and carbon monoxide detector in firefighter bunker gear with a removable nose that reveals a push button that emits warnings similar to a detector going off.

Barclay never imagined Beepa would catch on as it did.

“Not in my wildest dream,” she commented.

Plush Beepa toys have been distributed to fire departments across Ontario, as have colouring sheets and other educational material.

“The fact that it is out there and departments are using it, or even seeing something on Facebook, or hearing something from a friend about Beepa, it warms my heart because Beepa is doing what I hoped it would do,” Barclay said.

Kovacs said he wanted something to raise awareness that could sit on a table in front of a child, and they could press a button to make a smoke alarm sound.

“It actually brings it to life for them; it’s not just an item on the ceiling,” he said of Beepa.

He has been working with Autism Canada and found Beepa has been a tremendous asset. Kovacs said people on the spectrum can go into sensory overload if a smoke alarm goes off, and there is a possibility they will freeze instead of vacating the premises. With Beepa, the concept of a smoke alarm can be explained, and the button can be pushed repeatedly.

“They get used to it over time as opposed to being scared of it,” Kovacs said.

Beepa has also appeared on a colouring sheet with the Toronto Blue Jays, which was distributed across the province.