Fire extinguishers donated in family’s memory

The fire that claimed four lives in Oconto on Jan. 17 led employees of Johnson Controls to provide more than 12,000 fire extinguishers to the families of students in 26 schools in Oconto, Marinette and Menominee counties.

The donations are in response the Oconto house fire that took the lives of Katherine DeCoursin, 35, and her children, Jeri Leigh Schroeder, 15, Dalton Schroeder, 13, and Nicholas DeCoursin Jr., 11, along with their family pet, Hagrid.

When employees at Johnson Controls became aware of this incident and that family ties existed within the company, they felt that, as a fire protection company and longtime member of the community, they needed to take action on behalf of the family and friends of these victims to create awareness of the importance of fire prevention.

By donating one extinguisher per student during October Fire Prevention Month, Johnson Controls hopes to reduce some of the risk of another family having to endure a tragedy like this in the future, the company said.

“Our 800-plus employees undoubtedly represent their communities by bringing loyalty and compassion to our workplace,” said Jill Kakuk, Johnson Controls human resources manager. “It is in this spirit that Johnson Controls has chosen to support them in responding to the tragedy that occurred last winter.”