The Brightside: OCFD honors elementary school counselor for 24 years of fire safety education

OCEAN CITY, Md. — In the latest edition of The Brightside, sponsored by Choptank Electric Cooperative, the Ocean City Fire Department is recognizing a special fire safety advocate at a local elementary school.

Ocean City Elementary School guidance counselor Linda McGean is helping spark a safer future by promoting fire safety awareness among students in kindergarten through 12th grade.

McGean said the recognition came as a surprise and that the students look forward to participating in the annual fire prevention poster contest.

“It’s amazing. It truly is completely unexpected. Our kids love doing the posters. It brings them joy. I love looking through them and seeing how creative they are. So, it’s just an absolute honor to know that this is going to have my name on it,” she said.

Ocean City Fire Department’s Ryan Whittington said McGean’s dedication to fire prevention education and her work with students over the past 24 years made her deserving of the recognition.

“She does a lot for the students and planning and prepping. So for us to really recognize her 24-plus years of planning our fire prevention education with this school is really a special opportunity for us to recognize her,” Whittington said.

Whittington said McGean’s efforts have helped bring important fire safety conversations into students’ homes, encouraging children to talk with their families about emergency preparedness.

“Promoted that poster contest where kids are at home having conversation with the parents about where they’re meeting places, what to do in case of emergency, and to recognize that commitment that she’s given to us by naming our poster contest after her,” Whittington said.

He added that working with local schools to educate students about fire safety has made a lasting impact, something firefighters see firsthand throughout the community.

“We see them in the local community, and they say, ‘Hey, Mr. Firefighter,’ and they tell us that, you know, I have my meeting place, or I know where to go in case of a fire. You really realize that impact,” Whittington said.

For McGean and her students, visits from the fire department come with a couple of favorite activities.

“We all love seeing Max. That’s everybody’s favorite part, is getting to pet Max, and we love the firehouse, being able to go through the firehouse and really experiencing what it potentially might be like, getting down on the floor and crawling out the window,” McGean said.