Recognizing the growing trend of dangerous stunts on social media, the Department of Fire Services (DFS) has launched its annual Burn Awareness Video Contest. The goal of this contest is to employ schools and their communication courses in promoting fire safety and highlighting the devastating impact of fire misuse.
DFS, in partnership with the Massachusetts Property Insurance Underwriters Association and Shriners Children's, has commenced the contest to counteract the dangerous fire-related challenges prevalent on social platforms. The official announcement states the primary objective is to underscore the long-term, painful repercussions of fire misuse, and to deter such perilous stunts among youth.
The contest is open to students from grades 9 to 12 in Massachusetts schools, under supervision of communication teachers or faculty sponsors. Contest videos must delve into burn prevention issues, last between one to three minutes, and be purely informative without depicting any risky behavior. The use of fire in the videos is restricted to royalty-free stock footage.
The winners will be announced during Burn Prevention Week, February 4-10, 2024. The grand prize of a digital video camera for the winning school is funded by the Massachusetts Property Insurance Underwriters Association. Additionally, Shriners Children's will provide $100 in Best Buy gift cards for the second-place team, and $50 for the third-place team.
The competition encourages students to research the serious risks associated with fire misuse.
For further details regarding participating in the contest, the comprehensive rules, scoring rubric, and submission form can be found on the Department of Fire Services' High School Burn Awareness Video Contest page.
