Fire princess crowned
By John Joyce
Published in News on November 27, 2016 12:09 AM
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News-Argus/SETH COMBS
Brianna Bass performs a skit on fire safety during Saturday night's competition.
Full SizeUnder the holiday lights and decorations lining South Center Street in downtown Goldsboro Saturday evening, the temperatures lingered in the mid-40s.
But inside the Paramount Theatre, things were just beginning to heat up.
A crowd of 220 family, friends and supporters were on hand as the Wayne County Firefighters Association crowned its new 2016 Fire Princess, Brianna Bass.
The 42nd annual Fire Princess Pageant did not disappoint, with 10 contestants whose beauty and talent paled only in comparison to their working knowledge of fire prevention and safety.
Miss Bass, 17, represented the Thoroughfare Volunteer Fire Department. After receiving the crown from outgoing-2015 Fire Princess Jasmin Turner, Miss Bass paused for photos and celebratory hugs and kisses from her fellow contestants.
"I was nervous, but I knew that with all the support from my family and everyone here tonight that I could do anything," she said.
Miss Bass, who has competed in the pageant the last three years, said she has been preparing for the competition for quite some time.
The pageant focuses on promoting fire prevention and safety awareness, specifically in young people.
Miss Bass will carry the torch -- fire extinguisher nearby, of course -- and pass along what knowledge she and her fellow contestants have gained throughout their lifetimes as children of firefighters and as aspiring fire princesses.
The competition moved steadily along, feeding off of an energetic crowd.
The audience was both entertained and educated through song, dance and monologues performed by each of the teen contestants.
A casual observer might have thought the star of the show was a woman off stage known only as EDITH, but those who paid close attention would have learned the acronym stands for Evacuation Drills Inside The Home.
Such were the lessons ensconced in each performance, which included fire extinguisher use, what to know when calling 911 in an emergency, how to alert firefighters to pets inside the home, safe cooking practices and clothes dryer maintenance and of course, to change smoke detector batteries twice a year and to replace them every 10 years.
Miss Bass seemed to win the judges over with her homage to "Finding Nemo" -- she dressed as the absent-minded character Dory and seemed to forget everything she knew except her fire safety lessons.
First runner-up Ariel Smith, 16, represented the Mar Mac Volunteer Fire Department, and also took home Miss Congeniality honors.