He looks good for his age. Sparky the Fire Dog®, the iconicspokesdogfor the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) turned 60 this year, and will be honored with aSparky Museumat the 2011 NFPA Conference & Expo being held June 12 – 15 at the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center.
The NFPA has announced a call-for-photos of any Sparky items from the past six decades, including posters, dolls, stuffed animals or other Sparky paraphernalia. Anyone with images of Sparky memorabilia is asked to email them topublicaffairs@nfpa.org.
Sparky was created in 1951 for an Advertising Council campaign. “Two years later his fire prevention campaign reached more than 68 million people through radio public service announcements and another three million through television,” according to the NFPA, who called Sparky “an influential figure in fire prevention,” who has successfully collaborated with firefighters and others to educate the public about fire prevention.
Since Sparky first appeared on the scene in the 1950’s, the number of fires and fire injuries in the United States has declined, which the NFPA says is partly attributable to enhanced public education efforts. Still, approximately 3,000 people die each year and thousands more are inured because of fires.
The NFPA says Sparky’s work continues and is more important than ever because most fires can be prevented when people take personal responsibility and follow a few safety guidelines.
