Instead of asking for a basketball or the latest video game, Scott Weirscher asked his friends to give him teddy bears for his eighth birthday.

Weirscher, a second grader at Westfield Elementary in Champaign, donated several teddy bears he received as presents to the Champaign Fire Department Wednesday. After he learned from his mother that the department keeps bears on their fire engines to comfort children during emergencies, he donated the bears he received from his Sept. 24 birthday “so they can give them to the little kids when they’re scared.”

Together with Fire Chief John Corbly, some of the firefighters accepted the bears and gave Weirscher a book with all of the firefighters’ signatures, a water bottle and a flashlight. They also gave Weirscher and his two brothers a chance to sit in the cab of a fire engine and wear plastic fire helmets.

“It’s a pretty special idea,” Corbly said.

Weirscher’s donation coincided with the Champaign Fire Prevention Week at Market Place Mall, 2000 N. Neil St.

Fire Prevention Week began Tuesday and is scheduled to continue until Saturday. Champaign fire personnel are available to provide information about smoke detectors, answer questions and offer guidance about fire prevention from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. every day, according to a press release.

“The purpose is simply for all of us to stop and take a moment to double check,” said Dena Schumacher, Champaign Fire public educator and organizer of the week. “Double check to keep ourselves safe.”

This year’s theme is “Put a finger to it!” referring to the act of pushing the button of their smoke detectors to make sure that they work, Schumacher said.

The department stresses the importance of checking smoke detector batteries, which play an important part in notifying the fire department.

The department was called to apartments Sunday on Crescent Drive in Champaign where smoke detectors went off, Champaign Fire Lt. Steve Burden said. If the smoke detector had not alerted residents so quickly, the fire could have been much worse, Burden said.

“It’s ironic that it would happen right before Prevention week started,” he said.

Mall activities for the week include the Day in the Life of a Firefighter display, Hot Shot and Sparky the Fire Dog, Taste of History Kiosk, Meet Me at the Tree: Family Safety Tours and guidance and kindergarten school tours in the morning, according to the press release. Children can receive hats, badges, coloring books and candy.

About 115 kindergarten children turned out Wednesday morning, participating in the Family Safety Circuit, where they learned how to stop, drop and roll, how get out of fires and how to call 911.

“It’s a good program,” said Tim Wild, Deputy Chief. “The kids enjoy it; it’s a good field trip.”

Families can participate in Meet Me at the Tree each weekday afternoon, evenings and all day Saturday. Families that complete their escape plans and practice in the Community Fire Safety House receive free tree seedlings that could someday grow into trees for family meeting spots, according to the press release.

According to Schumacher, the Champaign Fire Department has been participating in Fire Prevention Week for the last 15 to 20 years.

“There are basic things we do every day that can cause fires,” Schumacher said. “We have to take a minute to remember why we (need to) stop and slow down.”