The Oxford Fire Department made its annual fire safety stop at Oxford Elementary School on Wednesday, October 22, 2025, and one of the students was able to tell his friends how important it is to listen and learn what the firefighters teach about keeping one’s family safe during a fire emergency.

Second-grader Kyrin Wallace, son of Buster and Keana Wallace, put those lessons into practice when he noticed a fire in the family’s kitchen on October 11.

Fire Chief Gary Sparks said the family did not have a smoke detector, so Kyrin alerted his mother, helped his brother escape, and when he did not see his mother come out, he went next door and asked his neighbors to call the fire department.

“By that time, the mother had come out of the house, and the fire proved to be a minor one,” Sparks said. “But he did all the right things, and he said he learned what to do when we were here last year.”

Sparks told Kyrin’s story to the students as an example of how important it is to learn about fire safety.

“What he did made him a hero to his family and made him a hero for us,” Sparks said.

Sparks gave Kyrin a certificate naming him an honorary firefighter “for showing great bravery and courage during a house fire” and a fire department challenge coin, which is normally presented to new firefighters once they complete their training.

OFD Lt. Eric Lamons and firefighter Trent Houck reminded students about the importance of smoke detectors and encouraged them to tell their parents that the fire department will visit their home to install them for free.

Anyone can request free smoke detectors and installation by calling the Oxford Fire Department at 256-831-3208.