Sunday, March 8th is almost here and that means its time to change your clocks and your smoke detector batteries. This is also a good time to review your family’s fire escape plan and to test your children’s reaction to smoke detectors. Smoke detectors save lives, but only if they are installed properly and are operational. To that end, the management and firefighters of the Cottleville Fire District have partnered on a smoke detector program. Beginning this Saturday and Sunday, Feb. 28th and March 1st, on duty firefighters will begin going door to door in an effort to provide further education about smoke detectors as well as offering to check the functionality

The Cottleville Firefighters have established a Community Outreach Program to help the community.The program is designed to assist victims of fire and other emergencies, to educate the public about safety related topics, and to help out residents that have fallen on difficult times.

We are having a "Run For the Helmet" 7K (4+mi) run/walk to benefit this program on March 14 at 9 AM. Why drive all the way downtown to run and fight the Hwy 40 mess, when you can stay right here in St. Charles County and have a positive impact on the community in which you live? Not a great runner? No big deal-this is a "fun run" and walking is welcomed. 100% of the proceeds will be given to the Cottleville Firefighters Community Outreach Program. Click "read more" below to view the flyer and click the middle box in the top right corner to print.

Following the run will be a St. Patty's Parade through Cottleville at 11 AM and an Irish celebration at Sherlock's Steak and Seafood featuring live music. 

Epidermolysis bullosa (EB) is a rare genetic disease characterized by the presence of extremely fragile skin and recurrent blister formation, resulting from minor mechanical friction or trauma. An estimated 1 out of every 50,000 live births are affected with some type of EB. The disorder occurs in every racial and ethnic group throughout the world and affects both sexes equally.

Gage Wickiser is a 7 year old boy with EB that lives in our community. He has very painful wounds, similar to burns, all over his body. His mother, Julie Smith, spends 2-3 hours every day wrapping him like a mummy with gauze and vaseline. Unfortunaely Gage must endur a lot of pain from his sores which is the worst during bath time. Gage has to bathe in bleach water to fight off infection. The slightest trauma to his skin results in sores and blisters. For example, he cannot even sit on the toilet. Gage is continually on codeine, oxycontin and antibiotics. Because eating so painful, he is fed through a feeding tube. These are just a small sample of the problems facing kids with EB. In fact, children with EB are often called "butterfly kids" because their skin is so thin that it is like the wing of a butterfly.

Cottleville Firefighters Community Outreach attended a fundraiser for Gage on Saturday (2/21). A donation was given to his mother along with a plastic fire helmet, trading cards, balls and stickers for Gage.

To watch a video that aired on Fox 2 News about Gage, click http://www.fox2now.com/ktvi-rare-skin-condition-021809,0,341310.story 

To find out more about EB, click http://www.ebkids.org  

There is a fund setup for Gage, in his name, at Region's Bank.

Firefighters’ helmet drive Sparks Support

Three years ago, the Cottleville, Mo., firefighters decided they wanted to work on a charitable project that had local impact. They chose St. John’s Mercy Burn Center as the beneficiary.

Like many good ideas, the locally focused helmet drive caught the attention of others. Firefighters Local 2665, comprised of 47 different fire departments across St. Louis and St. Charles counties, adopted the idea the following year. Over the last three years, their combined effort collected more than $65,000 for St. John’s Mercy Burn Center.

Bob Gauldin, who serves as community liaison for the Cottleville Fire Department, has been involved with the program since