The fire engines blared, the lights sounded and dozens of children stood outside Oxford Center School screaming.
But there was no fire on this day, and it wasn't a false alarm. It was the Oxford Fire Department making the day, if not the year, for one local girl.
Eight-year-old Meagan Leung, a Center School third-grader, won a coloring contest that was held in conjunction with Fire Prevention Week, held in October, at the school. She became the talk of the school Friday morning when she showed up to class in style - in the back of a fire truck, her pink backpack in tow and a plastic red fire helmet on her head.
"This is really fun!" she proclaimed after she was embraced by her classmates.
Her mother, Helen Chung, said the event was part of what makes Oxford a good community.
"I think the fire stations, all three in town, are amazing," she said. "It's not just the fire fighting, but everything they do for the community. I mean, at the tree lighting (to be held Friday), they bring Santa. Anybody who delivers Santa to town is a hero!"
Fire Captain John Ellis, of the Riverside Fire Co., said this is the second time the fire department has held the ride to school contest. Other winnners, he said, were Quaker Farms School students Sidney Billings, Chase Fernino and Gabriella Torres.
Fire Chief Scott Pelletier said these type of events promote safety and give children an incentive to learn during Fire Prevention Week.
"Kids love getting ride on a fire truck," he said. "Hopefully, a little bit of the message we give them during fire safety week they will take with them. Hopefully that can prevent fires and save lives."
