Village Wins National Award for Fire Safety Educational Video

The Village of Downers Grove is proud to announce that it has received a Silver Circle Award in the 2025 3CMA Savvy Awards competition for its video Learn Not to Burn. The honor was presented at the 3CMA Annual Conference in September.

The Savvy Awards have represented the best in government communications for more than 30 years. This year, more than 1,100 entries across 37 categories were submitted, highlighting the most creative and effective work from local governments of all sizes and budget classes.

The award-winning video was produced by the Village’s Communications Department in close partnership with the Downers Grove Fire Department. The Learn Not to Burn program is taught monthly in all third-grade classrooms in the community, teaching children life-saving fire safety lessons.

The video incorporates:

1. Firefighter testimonials describing real experiences in fire emergencies.
2. An interview with a firefighter and his family who experienced a fire in their own home, reinforcing that it can happen to anyone.
3. On-screen demonstrations of what children should do if caught in a house fire.

Chris Derylo, the Village’s Video Producer, worked closely with Fire Department personnel to bring the project to life. Savvy Award judges praised the entry, noting:

1. "I applaud the different perspectives in this video – most notably the firefighter and his family who discovered a fire in their home."
2. “Hearing from the kids makes this even more impactful for the children viewing the video.”
3. “This is really well done and presents the topic in a very age-appropriate manner.”

Congratulations to the Communications Department and Fire Department team members on this outstanding achievement.