Mesa Fire Department is the first fire department in the country to be able to call themselves “Emmy award winning.”
Mesa Fire was awarded a 2013 Rocky Mountain Emmy for a public service announcement (PSA) they created about drowning prevention.
Laura Mcelhatten, a former news reporter who now develops content for Mesa Fire, said “we didn’t think we would win an Emmy, much less get nominated” when they created the “I Remember” PSA campaign, featuring mothers who have lost children to drowning. The issue of child drowning is a big one for Mesa. As a part of the Phoenix Metro area, Mesa suffers more child drownings than areas outside Arizona.
“The message of the PSA was to always remember to watch your kids around water, but also to remember these two little boys who passed away from drowning,” said Laura.
Mesa Fire personnel were not only shocked to be nominated, but also to win. No other fire department has ever won an Emmy. However, they say that the real winner is any child whose life was saved by the “I Remember” campaign.
Water Watcher Tags Available
Free Water Watcher Tags are available from The Kenny Klaus Team, the local real estate experts for Southeast Mesa, by visiting their offices at 2919 S Ellsworth Rd #133 in Mesa, on the southeast corner of Guadalupe and Ellsworth. Water Watcher tags come with a free lanyard and are designed to be used at pool parties, allowing for adults to take turns assuring that one adult is always watching the pool. The Water Watcher Tags also include CPR instructions on the laminated tag.
View the Mesa Fire Department Emmy-Award-Winning campaign below, and share it with your friends on social media. It might just save a life.
