Photos: Putnam County students ride to school on a fire engine

Putnam County Elementary students (from left) Arya King, Giada Wright, Priscilla Serna and Octavia Walter, pose for a photo Tuesday, Nov. 21, 2023, with Lt. Tyler Smith and Deputy Chief Quentin Buffington at Putnam County Elementary School in Hennepin. The students won the Escape Floor Plan contest held by the fire department. Students had to draw a floor plan or map of their home showing all doors and windows. Smoke alarms had to be marked in each plan. A family meeting place was required to be marked on the drawings. Winners were awarded Amazon gift cards. The Hennepin Fire Department has been holding the contest for several years. The department stopped the event during COVID-19 and continued it for the first time since the pandemic this year. The department picks the winning children up on a firetruck and busses them to school. (Scott Anderson)