As part of the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA)’s year-long celebration of Sparky the Fire Dog®’s 60^thbirthday, a new educational matching game which teaches preschoolers about smoke alarms is now available on Sparky’s website, www.sparky.org. The game, designed for children ages three to five, was created by NFPA and WGBH Kids Interactive, makers of PBS websites like Curious George and Martha Speaks.

“We know from NFPA statistics that children under age five are nearly one and a half times as likely to die in a home fire as the general public,” said Amy LeBeau, NFPA’s communications manager for public education. “Using a fun and interactive tool to educate young children about smoke alarms and what to do if one sounds is a great way to influence their safety behavior.”

In Sparky’s Match Game, children are shown by Sparky himself what a smoke alarm looks like, the sound it makes, and what to do when they hear that sound. This message is especially important to small children, who may not recognize the sound or are unaware that hearing a smoke alarm means get outside and stay outside. In the game, kids will be rewarded for doing the right thing when a smoke alarm goes off.

You can read the full release on the NFPA’s website.