The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) recently
launched a new Sparky the Fire Dog game to help children learn
about the importance of fire safety. The game, “Crack the Code,”
is now available free online at www.sparky.org. It stresses the
importance of fire safety by asking children to identify fire
facts that could help save lives. “We set out to create a game
that keeps kids engaged and challenged but also gives them fire
safety information they can use,” said Amy LeBeau, NFPA’s
communications manager of public education. “We wanted to help
kids feel like they were part of something big: Sparky’s Secret
Safety Society. It gives the kids ownership, and we hope will
keep them interested in fire safety once they leave the Web
site.” Players of Sparky’s “Crack the Code” game visit three
different fun and interactive scenes as they are tasked with
helping Sparky decipher hidden messages. During their search for
clues, players must avoid the robots, identify fire facts and
use Sparky’s decoder ring to d