06/07/2026
At this weeks Rotary Club of Dover meeting, we had the opportunity to listen and learn from Chief Driscoll and Captain Adams as they shared the history and purpose of Dover Fire & Rescue’s Annual Fire Safety Festival.
This began about 30 years ago through the volunteer efforts of two Dover firefighters. It continued for years but was put on hiatus during Covid. Captain Adams
has been instrumental in bringing it back to Dover elementary students.
The purpose of the program is to educate students on fire safety, reduce the occurrence of fire-related events and to reduce the impacts should a fire and safety event happen.
A few highlights:
• Every K – 4 student attends the event during fire safety week in October.
• All costs of this program come from donations – no tax payer dollars are used.
• All time and effort are donated by firefighters – they are not paid for their time.
• Production costs range between $12k - $15k annually. Costs include a hat, goodie bag and t-shirt for every student who attends.
• Shows are on a 5-year rotation, so no students see the same production in the time they attend.
The Chief and Captain showed a video clip of a prior production, and it was easy to see the enthusiasm and engagement of the students.
This program is run separately from the toy drive (which is fully operational after the recent flood). The Chief and Captain welcomed the Club and
individuals to donate.