JACKSON TOWNSHP, Ohio — About 10 months have passed since tragedy struck in Jackson Township; a family of four was killed in a house fire, making it the deadliest fire in the township's history.
As the one-year anniversary approaches, the community is still impacted by the deadly blaze. A group of Jackson High School students decided they wanted to do something to prevent the possibility of future tragedies.
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Through their Junior Achievement entrepreneurship class, the students launched Flame Guard, a fire safety company.
They are selling one-story kits for $69.99 and two-story kits for $129.99. The kits include a fire extinguisher, fire blanket, smoke alarms, burn gel, and a respirator mask. There's also a 13-foot ladder in the two-story kit.
"It all kind of works together. If there's a a fire in your house, you can be prepared for any situation," said Zach Ferguson, the chief financial officer for Flame Guard.
Justin Lackey, the CEO of the company, said the classmates came together as a group to figure out how to best market and sell the kits.
"I think it's important that people are prepared because they never know when something like a fire could happen and no one ever really thinks a fire could happen," Lackey said.
The fire that raced through a home on Skycrest Drive NW last March took the lives of Jeffrey and Talina Hawk, as well as their two children, Amelia and Javen, who were students at Jackson Memorial Middle School.
The cause of the fire wasn't determined, according to Jackson Township Fire Chief Tim Berczik.
While the founders of Flame Guard did not know the Hawk family personally, they experienced that sense of loss since students within the district were killed.
"When you see some sort of tragedy like that happen in your community, like you can tell, it sends a ripple throughout the community," said Matt Smith, who handles marketing.
The teens said they felt motivated to start the company with the hopes that it could ultimately protect others.
"You want to make a positive change in the community," said Joe Lattarulo, the chief of operations.
Shawn Donaldson, who teaches the Junior Achievement Entrepreneurship class, said the goal of the student start-up companies is to look at world or national problems and localize a solution.
"They've really been able to find a way to localize it and actually bring more community impact and support to it, especially because of what happened here," Donaldson said.
The students are learning a lot, including how to market their kits, dealing with suppliers, waiting for shipments and packaging orders for customers.
They have business cards, a website, social media accounts and plans to attend trade shows and competitions.
Donaldson said Flame Guard has done about $4,000 to $4,500 in sales so far with a goal of getting many more kits into the hands of homeowners.
More importantly, the teens hope their new company is making a difference.
"I would say the main reason someone would want to buy this is simply the peace of mind for their family," Smith said.
