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4- The Oakville Beaver, Wednesday July 4, 2007 www.oakvillebeaver.com DAVID LEA / OAKVILLE BEAVER YOUNG HERO: Fire Safety Award recipient Sidney Samborski stands with Ontario Fire Marshal Patrick Burke, Minister of Community Safety and Correctional Services Monte Kwinter, Oakville Fire Chief Richard Boyes, Chief Fire Prevention Officer Gary Laframboise and Public Education Officer Michael Harrison during an awards ceremony in Toronto on Thursday. Young girl hailed as hero for following her fire safety training By David Lea OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF Classes start Monday, July 9th River Oaks 6:00 am, 7:15 am, or 6:00 pm INDOOR & OUTDOOR FITNESS TOTAL BODY CONDITIONING 1 hour a day / 3 or 5 days a week / 4 weeks Enlist today! Register online at www.survivorbootcamp.com or call 1 877 BOOTCMP (1.877.266.8267) Franchises Available! Small Class Sizes Ensure Guaranteed Results. A young girl's courage in the face of a dangerous house fire was rewarded Thursday as firefighters from across Ontario gathered at the Fairmont Royal York Hotel in Toronto to honour those who have learned the lessons of fire prevention. Twelve-year-old Sidney Samborski, of Oakville, received the Fire Safety Action Award for her actions on the cold afternoon of Jan. 24. Sidney had been working at her computer when the smoke detector went off. Remembering her fire safety lessons from school and camp, Sidney dropped to the floor, avoiding the toxic smoke that quickly began to fill the house. Sidney calmed her mother, Gloria, who was also in the house and persuaded her to leave the home through the closest exit. On her way out, Sidney also grabbed her dog Max, who she wrapped in a blanket to keep the smoke from aggravating his health problems. Through Sidney's quick actions during the fire there was no loss of life, but damage to the Samborski home was estimated at $75,000. On Thursday, those heroic and lifesaving actions were recognized as Sidney, along with eight other equally heroic children, ascended a stage in the hotel's Imperial Room and received a plaque from Ontario Fire Marshal Patrick Burke. "The nine young people receiving awards today are proof positive that fire safety education really does work," said Deputy Fire Marshal Doug Crawford. "Fire is a problem that is shared by the whole community, so it just makes sense that the solution also lies within the community. Fire departments throughout the province are very proficient in coming up with new and innovative methods to teach residents and their communities about fire prevention, but they can't do it alone and that's why these awards today are so important." By looking at the award recipients, which ranged from news media groups that ran fire prevention stories, to children as young as five who made lifesaving decisions during fires, Fire Marshal Burke "Thanks to these fire safety lessons, Sidney knew exactly what to do to get herself, her mother and her dog to safety." Janice Johnstone, Ontario Fire Marhsal's office said one important lesson was to be learned. "Armed with the appropriate knowledge and skills every individual has the power to prevent fire and to know what to do if a fire does occur," he said. "Even if they heed just one message, such as install working smoke alarms on every storey of their home. It could mean the difference between life and death in a fire, and we have all kinds of examples of that happening in this province." Providing this information proved particularly important in Sidney's case as was pointed out by Janice Johnstone, of the Fire Marshal's office. "Sidney was taught fire safety lessons at her school, St. James Roman Catholic School and also at a day camp hosted by the Halton Region Health Department and the Canadian Red Cross," she said. "Thanks to these fire safety lessons, Sidney knew exactly what to do to get herself, her mother and her dog to safety." Minister of Community Safety and Correctional Services, Monte Kwinter let the recipients and firefighters present know just what kind of difference their actions made to the big picture. "Your hard work is reflected in the fact that last year Ontario had the lowest preventable fire death rate in our history," he said, tempering his speech by emphasizing there is still a lot of work that needs to be done. For Sidney, the very notion that she would be honoured in such an amazing way was unimaginable, she said as she recalled her actions that January afternoon. "I just thought we were lucky to be out of the house at the time," she said. As far as her feelings on receiving the award are concerned, Sidney is taking it all in stride. "Life has ups and downs and this was just like an up."