About this project

Welcome to the first Kickstarter to help create The Firefighter Dan Show. I have been developing The Firefighter Dan Show for several years--it's time to make it happen. The plan is to create the show in different parts using Kickstarter. Safety Tips is the first step at piecing it all together. Like I said in the video, the ultimate goal is to create full episodes--that takes time and money. I want to create fun and engaging cartoons for kids. But for this Kickstarter, my crew and I felt we needed to start small.

The Firefighter Dan Show follows firefighter Dan and his crew in ‘newly opened’ Fire Station 1 as they respond to emergency calls in the disaster-filled town of Calamity City. Calamity City looks like your typical/everyday small town with quaint neighborhoods, children playing in the tree lined streets where everyone knows everyone; however everyone is clumsy, reckless, and/or accident prone.

Firefighter Dan is a big boy scout in turnout gear. He has wanted to be a firefighter his entire life, and he takes the responsibilities of his job very seriously. Dan’s favorite thing about his job is that constantly affords him opportunities to help people. This is usually a good thing, of course, but Dan can be overzealous. There are times when Dan is so eager to help others that he jumps to his own conclusion. He is the first person to try to help an old lady cross the street…even if that old lady is simply waiting for the next bus and doesn’t want to cross the street. Nonetheless, Dan’s enthusiasm never dampens, nor does his trust in his own instincts waver. In a town where almost no one thinks more than one step ahead, Dan is miles down the road, cheerfully trying to keep his colleagues, friends, and neighbors safe from hazards and accidents. His ultimate goal is to make Station 1 the best firehouse in the county.

We decided to begin our Kickstarter campaign with Safety Tips, because we felt it had the best chance to build momentum for the next Kickstarter--which could either be Firehouse visits or an animated pilot episode. Safety Tips is a small but important part of The Firefighter Dan Show. Much like the end of a G.I. Joe episode, 'now you know, and knowing is half the battle,' we have our own tag line.

Learning Today is Knowing Tomorrow!

Hopefully you like the video we produced, and you want to help fund the project. Fire Prevention week is just around the corner. If you can't help us financially, then help us spread the word and post our link on your Tumblr, Facebook, Google+, etc. Send it to anyone and everyone you know--especially if you know any first responders.

To my fellow first responders, please distribute to your colleagues and friends. Let's Kickstart The Firefighter Dan Show and let's begin with Firefighter Dan's Safety Tips! Thank you in advance.

Sincerely,

Tim D. Saguinsin aka Firefighter Dan

Recent NEWS:

(Transcript)

Each year in the United States an estimated 2,500 children age 14 or younger are injured and 560 killed in residential fires. Of these children, over 50 percent are under the age five, 70 percent are under the age of 10. --U.S. Fire Administration

Hello Kickstarters,  My name is Tim Saguinsin. I have been an educational animator for over 16 years. The stuff I do isn't on TV. It's more like the stuff kids are learning in schools today. I am also a certified firefighter, and most importantly the father of two.

I want to create a series of animated safety tips that will premiere online during Fire Prevention Week and  I would like your backing.

The statistics are tragic. I would like to reduce that injury number through an educational and entertaining animated project called  ‘Firefighter Dan's Safety Tips'. This is Firefighter Dan! And this is Ginny his loyal fire engine.

Wait a second? Kids have Fire Prevention Week every year in their schools! Right?

Yes, kids have Fire Prevention week at their school. (This year it is October 9-15)

Let's get back to the quote...

Each year in the United States an estimated 2,500 children age 14 or younger are injured and 560 killed in residential fires. Of these children, over 50 percent are under the age five, 70 percent are under the age of 10. --U.S. Fire Administration

What age does Kindergarten usually begin? The age of 5!

This is why I created Firefighter Dan....

I want to reduce the number of injuries by creating content specifically for the 2 to 6 year old age group. We have seen a builder, a handy man and an explorer out there. Why not create something involving a true hero. Someone in your very own neighborhood: a firefighter. I mean… who doesn’t like fire trucks?

Much like the crew of a fire engine, I have assembled a group of people that will do their part! I have writers, animators, actors and sound editors waiting for the alarm to ring. I also have Firefighters, Fire Chiefs and First Responders behind the scenes to insure the messages we send out will keep us all safe.

I know there are a lot of websites out there with content, but putting a parent and a 4 year old in front of a computer doesn’t mean they are going to find the right content. Firefighter Danwill be creating safety and learning content that is consistently updated and easily accessible on FirefighterDan.com.

Each of our Fire Safety tips will be a short animation about 60-90 seconds. By keeping the content in short bytesize chunks of information, a child will be able to better digest the information.

My ultimate goal is to make full cartoon episodes for kids, but for THIS Kickstarter we are focusing on raising $10,000 to create 32 animated Firefighter Dan safety tips to be released on each day of Fire Prevention week October 9th through the 15th and then bi-weekly after that.  The funds will go towards paying the writers, actors, additional animators if needed, and the sound editors. Any additional funds, will go towards creating the full episodes, so if we reach our goal, please keep giving.

Please take your time and look at all the items we have available here on the right. Help us kickstart Firefighter Dan. Every penny counts. I hope that you can see that we have a lot of passion and believe in our mission. Above anything we believe in our children, and we wish to educate them in fire safety and community involvement. We hope that you can volunteer your time, money and efforts in spreading the word about Firefighter Dan, because "Learning today is knowing tomorrow."

Thank You!

Report this project to Kickstarter