The Society of Fire Protection Engineers will partner with media company Discovery Education to produce an in-school educational program called The Chemistry of Fire. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Federal Emergency Management Agency is funding this project as part of the FEMA 2006 Fire Prevention and Safety grant program.

"Every year, fire kills more Americans than all natural disasters combined," says FEMA Administrator David Paulison. "These grants support critical efforts to protect the public and firefighters from death or injury due to fires that could be prevented."

The Chemistry of Fire will be distributed nationwide as a teacher’s kit to high school science departments. The kit will provide a multimedia component, a teacher’s guide and take-home materials for students. The program will teach the science behind fire as a way for students to understand the dangers of fire. The originators hope it will make students more aware of the importance of fire prevention. In addition, The Chemistry of Fire will teach the critical role that engineering and safety practices play in preventing fire-related catastrophe.

“The partnership between Discovery and SFPE will result in a high-quality program that will deliver enlightening and powerful fire-safety messages,” says Mary Rollins, director of sponsorships for Discovery Education. “Thanks to the grant, we will reach thousands of teachers, students and families.”

“The teacher’s kit fills a basic information gap in high schools. This kind of information is not currently available in textbooks,” says Chris Jelenewicz, engineering program manager for SFPE.