Wednesday, February 8, 2012
Public Education
Writing the Next Chapter in a True Success Story
By Robert Rielage
ampaigns geared toward those “hard-to-reach” groups within our population, who either remain unaware or for other reasons choose not to have or maintain smoke alarms for their protection, have been tried with varying success....
NFPA Report Discusses Smoke-Alarm Effectiveness, Lack of NFPA 72 Compliance (with Related Video)
By Mary Rose Roberts (maryrose.roberts@penton.com)
The National Fire Protection Association recently released its “Smoke Alarms in U.S. Home Fires” report, which found that two-thirds of home fire deaths between 2005 and 2009 occurred in properties without working smoke alarms....
NFPA, USFA Offer Free Winter Fire Public-Awareness Materials to Fire Departments (with Related Video)
By Mary Rose Roberts (maryrose.roberts@penton.com)
The U.S. Fire Administration and the National Fire Protection Association launched their second annual "Put a Freeze on Winter Fires," a free fire public-awareness campaign developed to help fire departments educate constituents about the high prevalence of winter fires and mitigation strategies. ...
FEMA Launches Mobile App for Disaster Preparedness (with Related Video)
By Mary Rose Roberts (maryrose.roberts@penton.com)
The app lets citizens enter their family emergency meeting locations; review safety tips on what to do before, during and after a disaster; view a map of shelters and disaster-recovery centers across the U.S.; and read the agency’s latest blog posts on disaster incidents and response....
A New Twist on the 'Dear John' Letter
By Ronny J. Coleman
I suggest that we reverse that scenario and take the opportunity every time we respond to a fire to communicate directly with the property owner and tell them the truth about what really happened....
Public-Awareness Documentary Highlights Burn Victims, Emphasizes Life Safety (with Related Video)
By Mary Rose Roberts (maryrose.roberts@penton.com)
Trial by Fire: Lives Re-Forged chronicles seven burn survivors, who share their stories of what happened and the resulting social issues they face as they recover and re-enter society. ...
The Future of Heart Health
By Jack Parow
The next two iterations that will revolutionize CPR and increase the survival rates stratospherically are dispatcher-aided/hands-only CPR and a smartphone application that will alert the bystander of a cardiac-arrest event....
Fire Protection Still a 'Public Good'
By Adam K. Thiel
The fundamental economic question is whether citizens (taxpayers) collectively are responsible for paying to protect themselves and their neighbors, from the ravages of uncontrolled fires. If they are, then local fire protection should be considered a public good, and funded/resourced as such....
Change is Inevitable — Will You be Ready When it Arrives?
By Jack Parow
Rapidly evolving technology and the economic climate in which we operate will continue to accelerate the pace of change. As a leader, will you be driving this change or accepting what others decide for you?...
Fire-Service Leaders Express Importance of Fire Grants, Preparedness at Illinois Home Day
By Janet Wilmoth (janet@firechief.com)
More than 150 attendees — among them Congressional leaders and staff members, and more than 100 fire chiefs — participated last week in the sixth annual Illinois Fire Service Home Day, an event designed to help state and local legislators understand the importance of grant funding. ...
FEMA's Ready Busines Initiative Educates Small, Mid-Sized Businesses about Disaster Preparedness (with Photo)
By Mary Rose Roberts (maryrose.roberts@penton.com)
An Ad Council survey reported that nearly 62% of small businesses respondents admitted they didn’t have an emergency plan in place for their business. By taking steps ahead of time, many of these businesses can be better prepared to survive and to recover after an emergency, Craig Fugate said....
A Necessary Approach to Reducing Unnecessary Alarms
By Jack Parow
It is estimated that in the United States, 10% of fire-department responses are due to unnecessary alarms, e.g., those activated because of alarm maintenance, malfunction or cooking smoke....
Preemptive Strike
By Gerald Hughes
Effective fire prevention always is preferable to effective fire suppression. Here's a primer on how to accomplish it....
Philadelphia’s Fire Commissioner Talks Fire Prevention
By Mary Rose Roberts (maryrose.roberts@penton.com)
Pub-ed efforts have helped reduce fire deaths to 35 in 2010, is the lowest ever had in the city. ...
TriData Report Suggests International Strategies Would Reduce Civilian Fire Deaths by 40% in 5 Years
By Janet Wilmoth
Civilian fire deaths in residential fires were decreased by 40 to 60% in areas where fire departments had implemented firefighter home-visit programs. ...
Children Under 4 at Greatest Risk for Home Fire Deaths, Fugate Says
By Mary Rose Roberts
FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate announces a call-to-action against children fire deaths after report shows 52% involve those who are under 4. ...
New York Mets Players Train with FDNY
By Mary Rose Roberts
New York City Fire Commissioner Salvatore Cassano recently welcomed New York Mets COO Jeff Wilpon and pitchers Mike Pelfrey, R.A. Dickey, Bobby Parnell and Dillon Gee to the FDNY Training Academy on Randall's Island. ...
WUI Firefighting Starts at the Grassroots
By Glenn Bischoff (glenn.bischoff@penton.com)
Fire departments can work with community stakeholders to develop a fire-mitigation plan that will reduce risks and better position departments to respond should a wildland-urban interface fire occur....
Well-Known Pub-Ed Dog Passes
By Janet Wilmoth
Sparkles the Fire-Safety Dog, one of the stars of PBS Kids’ Sprout, passed away Monday evening at the age of 12, said her owner and fire-safety educator Dayna Hilton. ...
Boulder Fire Emphasizes Need for Mitigation, Evacuation Planning
By Mary Rose Roberts
Dry conditions throughout the country increase the threat of wind-driven wildfires, similar to the one currently burning outside Boulder, Colo. The fire doubled in size Tuesday to more than 7,100 acres and nearly 3,500 residents have been evacuated thus far....
Get the 411 on Your 911 Callers
By Ronny Coleman
You can mine census information that will be useful in your discussion about both workload and projected consequences on your department. ...
Quiet the Alarm Debate
By Janet Wilmoth (janet@firechief.com)
The debate over what type of smoke detector is best is counter-productive and a big waste of precious time. What really matters is getting more Americans to use smoke alarms....
Faster than the Speed of Government
By Pete Piringer
When it comes to releasing public information, timing is everything and sooner always is better....
Spin a Yarn
By Janet Wilmoth (janet@firechief.com)
Storytelling isn't limited to sharing childhood memories. Telling and re-telling tales of calls and incidents that went right — or, more importantly, that went wrong — can teach valuable lessons. ...
Push Back at the Lash Out
By Janet Wilmoth (janet@firechief.com)
An officer from the Las Vegas area told me something I never thought I would hear: Residents have been throwing eggs and spitting at fire trucks....
| Commentary | Special Reports | Station Style |
|---|---|---|
|
Mutual Aid is a blog of news and views from FIRE CHIEF staff and industry experts — a virtual conversation about the issues important to you as a fire service leader. |
In Service provides information on fleet management, apparatus specifying and maintenance. Keep abreast of new trends and changes to emergency vehicle apparatus. |
Station Style focuses on the architectural design and needs of fire and emergency stations today. See the latest in design trends and learn about the Fire Station Design Awards. |
