Safety Heroes in the Making with Milo & Moxie

The Arizona Burn Foundation (ABF) is excited to announce the completion of the first year of a three-year partnership with the Cartwright School District and the Phoenix Fire Department. This innovative program brings vital fire safety and burn prevention education directly into first grade classrooms.

Over the past school year, ABF staff members, Phoenix firefighters, and dedicated volunteers taught interactive fire safety lessons using the Milo & Moxie: Smart Safety Rangers curriculum. The lessons align with Arizona language arts standards and teach students two key safety rules: stay away from hot objects, and get outside quickly if there is smoke or a fire.

The 20-30 minute lessons incorporated read-alouds from the Milo & Moxie storybook, hands-on activities with flashcards and props, role-playing exercises, and workbook activities. Students learned to identify hot objects around the home, the importance of smoke alarms, and how to safely exit during a fire.

In total, the fire safety crew visited 9 first grade classrooms and delivered the lessons to hundreds of students over two semesters. Data collected showed that the children effectively retained the critical safety information.

This targeted program in the Cartwright district is part of ABF’s broader statewide education efforts. Last year alone, ABF was able to educate over 208,000 children through the Milo & Moxie curricula, with 98,836 students receiving the Smart Safety Rangers lessons and 109,660 students participating in the Wildfire Prevention program.

“We are conducting this in-depth, multi-year study with the goal of improving the impact Milo & Moxie has on future generations of children,” said Sabrina B. ABF Programs Administrator . “The data will allow us to enhance the curricula and ensure we’re providing Arizona’s youth with the most effective fire and burn safety education possible.”

“We are so grateful for our amazing community partners who made this fire safety initiative possible,” they continued. “The Cartwright teachers and Phoenix firefighters did an incredible job bringing these lessons to life.”

The program will continue for the next two school years, reaching even more young students across the district. ABF is seeking additional volunteers to join the fire safety crew and assist with teaching the Milo & Moxie lessons.

 

To get involved or learn more, email programs@azburn.org. Together, we can create a generation of safety heroes!