Florida Fire Fighter Illustrates Fire Safety Books for Kids

March 31, 2009 – After Fernandina Beach, FL Local 2836 Bradley Mayberry and his wife, Stephanie, had their first child, they went searching for kid-friendly fire safety books. While they found many books about fire fighters, they didn’t find many about fire safety. That’s when the couple first got the idea for their Douglas the Duck books.

Douglas the Duck is a young duckling with a fire fighter father. The duckling has learned a lot about fire safety from his father and teaches other young ducklings what he knows.

Before Bradley became a fire fighter four years ago, he attended Florida State University to study art. He became the book’s illustrator and Stephanie did the writing. “We wanted to target young kids – kindergarten through second grade – because we wanted the parents to read the books to the children,” says Bradley.

He adds, “It’s good to educate both the kids and the parents.”

The first book, Douglas the Duck and the Meeting Place, was published in August 2006. In the book, the family goes on vacation and brings along Douglas’s friend, Derrick. When they arrive at their vacation spot, the family must choose a “meeting place” in case the cabin they are staying in catches fire. Derrick does not know much about fire safety, so Douglas explains why having a meeting place is so important.

The Mayberrys also offer a fire safety education program for area schools. Stephanie reads the book to the class and Bradley appears in his turnout gear to talk about fire safety.

With the success of the first book, the local sheriff asked the Mayberrys to write a Douglas the Duck book about public safety. They agreed, and Douglas the Duck and the Safety Camp was published in September 2008. This book addresses several issues, including not talking to strangers and saying no to drugs.

The book series will continue with a book discouraging kids from playing with matches and teaching them how to use a fire extinguisher. The Mayberrys hope to release that book this fall.

Click here to learn more about Douglas the Duck.