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Fairfield Firefighters are betting that a traditional wheel of chance will make sure-winners out of area youngsters under the age of 12.

While the short-term goal is to have some fun, the long-term goal is to educate children to improve their chances of surviving a life-threatening situation.

The facts are simple:

• The relative risk of children under age 15 dying in a fire is about the same as the general population. However, when dividing the young into subgroups, more than 50 percent of all child fire deaths occur to those under age 5. These children are usually unable to escape from a fire independently.
• The number of fire injuries are also highest in the under age 5 bracket, decline in the middle years, but rise again in the 10-14 year old age group. This is a different pattern than deaths, which decrease as children age.
• Boys are at higher risk of death from fire than girls. African American and American Indian children are at an increased risk of death from fire.
• Children in the poorest homes face the greatest risk of death.
• Children at play are the leading cause of child fire injuries; suspicious (arson) activity is the leading cause of child deaths. One third of arson fires are attributed to children under age 15.
• Fire deaths and injuries have declined over the past decade—both to children and the general population. A major reason for the decline is the greater prevalence of smoke alarms.

The spinning wheel contains 10 fire safety questions. After a child answers the question the wheel stops on, they will be given a prize and their hand will be stamped with a fire department emblem.

Plans call for the wheel to be taken to different businesses throughout the City each week. On each visit a smoke detector and a small first aid kit will be placed on the wheel. In addition to the smoke detector and first aid kit, every child will win a prize.