The Korean Fire Protection Association (KFPA) sent Seung-Li Ahn to the National Fire Protection Association in 2011 on an international fellowship to work with the Public Education Division to learn about successful public education programs and effective education techniques. Ahn shared the knowledge and experience that he gained from the... Continue reading

To learn the best way to reach residents of Memphis neighborhoods with the highest risk to fires, fire deaths, and fire injuries, NFPA hired the Harvest Research Group, LLC to conduct focus groups with a variety of groups. The goal of the research was to explore perceptions, attitudes, and behaviors... Continue reading

NFPA’s Remembering When™: A Fire and Fall Prevention Program for Older Adults focuses on eight key fire prevention messages and eight fall prevention messages. Most the messages refer to safety inside the home. With the many places experiencing record cold temperatures and ice and snow conditions, however, preventing falls outdoors... Continue reading

On Monday, some areas of the country that usually have warm weather were experiencing unusually cold weather this week: in El Paso, it was 250F (-1.600C); in Los Angeles, it was 350F (1.60C); and in Phoenix, it was 250F (-3.80C). Homes in these areas may not have central heating, so... Continue reading

In 2012 and 2013, NFPA Public Education Division has been working with the Memphis Fire Department on a urban project to develop strategies to reduce deaths and injuries in Memphis, particularly in high-risk-to-fire neighborhoods. Some of the partnership activities include using data to determine the highest-risk populations, conducting discussion groups among firefighters serving the communities with the most fire runs, conducting focus groups among residents of the high-risk communities and ministers and faith-based leaders serving those communities, Fire Prevention Week outreach, and training Memphis public education staff on NFPA public education programs. Daryl Payton, chief of Operations for the Memphis... Continue reading

In 2012 and 2013, NFPA Public Education Division has been working with the Memphis Fire Department on a urban project to develop strategies to reduce deaths and injuries in Memphis, particularly in high-risk-to-fire neighborhoods. Some of the partnership activities include using data to determine the highest-risk populations, conducting discussion groups... Continue reading

In light of the recent tragedy in Newtown, Connecticut, here are some resources that may be helpful for you to share with firefighters, EMTs, teachers, parents, grandparents, friends, community helpers, and other who work with children. I found that several organizations have resources that can be helpful to anyone seeking... Continue reading

The Remembering When™: A Fire and Fall Prevention Program for Older Adults winning scholarship teams learned how to give group presentations and conduct home visits with 16 fire and fall prevention messages last week. Each of these teams of fire department personnel and personnel from older-adult home-visit agencies from 37... Continue reading

New free NFPA fall prevention posters are available for older adults in your community According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, one out of three adults 65 and older fall each year. In fact, falls are the leading cause of injury death among older adults age 65 and... Continue reading

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, one out of three adults 65 and older fall each year. In fact, falls are the leading cause of injury death among older adults age 65 and older. To help prevent falls and to enhance NFPA’s Remembering When™: A Fire and Fall Prevention Program for Older Adults, NFPA’s Public Education Division has just published three new fall prevention posters in English and Spanish that cover the topics of exercising for balance, installing handrails, and removing clutter. Earlier this year, four fire safety posters were posted on the topics of escape planning,... Continue reading

During Fire Prevention Week, the City of Miami Fire and Rescue created local partnerships with Home Depot® and Dominos® Pizza. These were companies that NFPA has also partnered with nationally. The Miami Fire and Rescue Department was able to use these partnerships to reach the at-risk communities they serve, spreading... Continue reading

Fitting well with this year’s Fire Prevention Week theme “Have Two Ways Out,” the Philadelphia Fire Department, the Michael H. Minger Foundation, and Campus Firewatch conducted a fire drill among local Philadelphia universities the evening of October 18. The universities practiced their respective escape plans by evacuating pre-selected dormitories. The campus of Drexel University served as host for the Philadelphia Fire Department’s mock firefighting operations during a campus fire. The Michael H. Minger Foundation is producing a documentary entitled “9 Fires” highlighting the devastating impact of nine campus fires in 2012. Below are photos from the firefighting event at Drexel... Continue reading

Fitting well with this year’s Fire Prevention Week theme “Have Two Ways Out,” the Philadelphia Fire Department, the Michael H. Minger Foundation, and Campus Firewatch conducted a fire drill among local Philadelphia universities the evening of October 18. The universities practiced their respective escape plans by evacuating pre-selected dormitories. The... Continue reading

During Fire Prevention Week, Susan Henderson, senior vice-president and chief communications officer of Rite Aid Pharmacy, presented the Cleveland Fire Department and the Cleveland Chapter of the Red Cross with a $10,000 check for their partner program, Operation Save-A-Life, in which firefighters and Red Cross volunteers install smoke alarms in... Continue reading

During Fire Prevention Week, the Raleigh, North Carolina, Fire Department shared fire safety education materials during an exhibit and demonstration at the Crabtree Valley Mall in Raleigh. Also during October, Raleigh’s Fire Watch publications featured an episode on home fire sprinklers, with Ronald Campbell interviewing a home owner who installed... Continue reading

During Fire Prevention Week, October 7–13, 2012, Milwaukee fire companies worked with players from the NBA’s Milwaukee Bucks to test and install smoke alarms in homes in Milwaukee neighborhoods as part of the Milwaukee Fire Department’s Focus (Firefighters out Creating Urban Safety) program. Pictured below with Milwaukee firefighters are, from... Continue reading

Quincy Fire Department held a Fire Prevention Week open house on Saturday, October 13, sharing fire safety information, demonstarting the Jaws of Life, holding a smoke alarm raffle, and providing pizza for the children and adults of Quincy. Also participating in the open house were the Quincy Police Department, Fallon... Continue reading

Often when you talk about community safety with people, the first thing that comes to their minds is crime prevention. People, particularly those who live in high-crime areas, think of how they can protect themselves from intruders, both inside their homes and out. Having been attacked and stabbed outside my... Continue reading

When you plan your Fire Prevention Week activities, do you make an effort to reach those people in your community that are at highest risk of dying in a fire or are hard to reach? This population can include older adults, young children, people in low-income communities, smokers, people with... Continue reading

One of the best parts of my position at NFPA is working with fire department fire safety educators. Most of them have dual responsibilities in their departments, serving as firefighters, inspectors, or public information officers, along with their duties as fire safety educators. Many go beyond their assigned duties, working extra hours and weekends so they can ensure that an open house, a smoke alarm installation program, or children in a burn unit get their attention. This year, NFPA launched the “Sparky’s Wish List” campaign, an online registry that brings together fire departments and community member to support life-saving fire... Continue reading

One of the best parts of my position at NFPA is working with fire department fire safety educators. Most of them have dual responsibilities in their departments, serving as firefighters, inspectors, or public information officers, along with their duties as fire safety educators. Many go beyond their assigned duties, working... Continue reading

Whether you teach older adults, develop lesson plans for classroom visits, or prepare a Fire Prevention Week open house with interactive activities, it is always important to increase your skills and knowledge as a fire-safety educators. NFPA 1035, Standard for Professional Qualifications for Fire and Life Safety Educator, Public Information... Continue reading

Don Bliss, a member of NFPA’s Standards Council, past fire marshal for the state of New Hampshire, recently served as the interim fire chief in Somersworth, New Hampshire. More than 1,000 Indonesian immigrants live in Somersworth, and Bliss got involved with the Indonesian community through a Health and Safety Council of Strafford County emergency preparedness grant project for the Indonesians of Somersworth and Stratford County. According to Samantha Brann, Community Programming coordinator for the Health and Safety Council of Strafford County, the grant focused training responders on cultural competency in the Indonesian community, teaching preparedness and fire safety to members... Continue reading