Orlando Health St. Cloud teamed up Friday with the St. Cloud Fire Rescue department to unveil the city’s newest Fire PALS Community Book Box, located outside the St. Cloud Hospital.
The boxes, part of a program by the organization Fire Prevention and Life Safety, is a community outreach organization dedicated to providing safety awareness through donated children’s books and fire safety and swimming safety pamphlets and activities. Fire PALS’ goal is to enhance the children’s ability to recognize an emergency and react safely. St. Cloud Fire Rescue Lt. David Miller is also President of Fire PALS. He got the idea at the start from a similar program in Winter Park, where his wife then worked.
The program started slowly about four years ago and has gained momentum, as the box at the hospital makes 12 boxes throughout St. Cloud, with three more in the works. Working with Fire PALS, a business, organization, or agency can donate materials to have the box constructed and brought to life by local artists with a fire-related theme. The artist for the Orlando Health box is Eric Frost, owner of 3 Little Birds Tattoo Gallery in St. Cloud, who is married to a St. Cloud firefighter. The box features “Scrubs,” Orlando Health’s new doctor dog mascot.
On hand to unveil the hospital’s box were Brian Wetzel, president, of Orlando Health St. Cloud Hospital, and Omar Lopez, an engineer/paramedic with the St. Cloud Fire Rescue Department. A crew from the department brought along an ambulance and fire truck, and several St. Cloud hospital staff members were also on hand for the unveiling. The box is prominently located near the main entrance to the hospital, near the flagpole.
For more information on Fire PALS and other Community Book Box locations see https://myfirepals.com.
