For many families, Memorial Day signals the start of summer fun. But as families plan backyard barbecues or campouts in the woods, a local doctor and a firefighter are working to remind parents that gas and fire never mix.
Dr. James Johnson, a burn specialist, and Tulsa Fire Marshal Tom Hufford, who founded a summer camp for children with severe burn injuries, have partnered with the National Gasoline Safety Project.
An independent survey funded by the National Gasoline Safety Project found that most parents — 80% — do not use gas to start fires. But those who do use gas mistakenly think it's something lots of parents do.
"Good parents don't use gas to start fires. It's as simple as that," said Johnson, a burn specialist at Hillcrest Hospital in Tulsa.
Hufford, assistant fire marshal at the Tulsa Fire Department and a longtime safety educator who frequently performs as "Huffy" the fire-safety clown, said parents who use gas to start fires teach that unsafe behavior by example.
"Kids learn from what their parents do as much as from what they say," he said. "If parents could come visit the kids in our summer camp, I know they'd think twice."
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