DATE:     9/13/00   
CONTACT:  Sarah Dubose, (864) 656-4049
WRITER:   Giles Singleton, (864) 656-3876

4-H Fire Safety Contest
offers $1,200 in prizes

     CLEMSON -- South Carolina elementary and high school 
students can compete for $1,200 in cash prizes in the 2000 
4-H Fire Safety Contest. 
     The art and writing contest is part of a statewide effort 
to make young people more aware of fire safety issues, said 
Sarah Dubose, fire education coordinator for the Clemson 
Extension Service.
     The contest is open to students in grades K-12 and will 
be judged at both the county and state levels. First and second 
place winners will be selected in both poster art and creative 
writing. Winners will be chosen in four grade groups - K-2, 3-5, 
6-8 and 9-12.
     "Contestants will write essays and make posters based on 
the theme 'Fire Drills: The Great Escape!'" Dubose said.
     All entries should be submitted to your county's Clemson 
Extension office by the week of Oct. 6.
     Prize money totaling $1,200 will be distributed among 16 
state winners. In addition, teachers of all state winners will 
receive $50 for classroom activities. First place winners' schools 
will receive a trophy.
     Winners will be recognized during a December awards ceremony 
at the Madren Center on the campus of Clemson University. Winning
entries will be displayed throughout the state.
     Clemson Extension, Independent Insurance Agents of South 
Carolina, the S.C. State Firemen's Association and the S.C. Farm 
Bureau Insurance Companies sponsor the contest.
     For more information about the contest or about fire safety
education programs, contact your local Clemson Extension office.
                             END