2011 Fire Prevention Week

New and updated materials for teaching fire safety to a challenging group: preschoolers

Amy Lebeau, of NFPA's Public Education Division, wrote the Outreach Column for the January/February issue of NFPA Journal. Her article, "New + updated materials for teaching fire safety to a challenging group: preschoolers," was inspired by an email a coworker had sent about her three-year old grandson. 

She had written about her grandson coming home from preschool a couple of weeks ago and saying to his mother, "Mom, do you know what to do if the house is on fire?" She said, "Yes, you get out of the house!" He looked at her wide-eyed and said, "No! You get down on the floor and you roll out the door!"

For public safety educators, identifying the age group you want to reach and knowing the learning capabilities of that group are crucial for your success. The little boy’s understanding of what to do in the event of a fire underscores the fact that children five and under need different fire safety messaging and materials than older children.

Amy goes on to discuss some of the challenges associated with teaching fire safety to preschoolers and she highlights some resources that may help. Read the full article now. 

Put a Freeze on Winter Fires with these 10 tips

The United State Fire Administration (USFA) and National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) are working together to remind everyone that home fires are more prevalent in winter than in any other season. This is due in part to an increase in cooking and heating fires. Holiday decorations and winter storms that can interrupt electrical service and cause people to turn to alternative heating sources also contribute to the increased risk of fire in winter. Winter fires can be prevented! Learn more about maintaining a fire-safe home this winter season at USFA's website.

Get ahead of the winter freeze
It's never too early to begin preparing for the heating season. NFPA offers 10 tips to check off your list  and get ahead of the winter freeze. Check them out below or download the full PDF here. 

Children, older adults and people with disabilities at higher risk for scald burns

NFPA and the Phoenix Society for Burn Survivors are urging the public to be cautious when handling hot liquids and soups. Scald burns are the second leading cause of all burn injuries and children, older adults and people with disabilities are especially at risk.

“In winter, there’s nothing as comforting as a warm cup of soup,” said Lorraine Carli, vice president of communications for NFPA. “But if you’re not careful this simple meal can turn painful.”

Scald burns are the second leading cause of all burn injuries. According to the study “Instant cup of soup: design flaws increase risk of burns” released by the Journal of Burn Care & Research, prepackaged microwavable soups, especially noodle soups, are a frequent cause of scald burn injuries because they can easily tip over, pouring hot liquid and noodles on the person.

To help prevent scald injuries, NFPA and the Phoenix Society offer some safety tips:

• Teach children that hot things can burn.
• Test the water at the faucet. It should be less than 100 degrees Fahrenheit (49 degrees Celsius).
• Always supervise a child in or near a bathtub.  Before placing a child in the bath or getting in the bath yourself, test the water. Test the water by moving your hand, wrist and forearm through the water. The water should feel warm, not hot, to the touch.
• Place hot liquids and food in the center of a table or toward the back of a counter.
• Have a “kid-free zone” of at least 3 feet (1 meter) around the stove and areas where hot food or drink is prepared or carried. Never hold a child while you are cooking, drinking a hot liquid, or carrying hot foods or liquids.
• Allow microwaved food to cool before eating and open it slowly, away from the face.
• Choose prepackaged soups whose containers have a wide base or, to avoid the possibility of a spill, pour the soup into a traditional bowl after heating.
• Treat a burn right away. Cool the burn with cool water for 3-5 minutes.  Cover with a clean, dry cloth. Get medical help if needed.

For more information on reducing the risk of these types of burns, view NFPA’s scald prevention tip sheet. 

Student goes from drawing a fire truck to riding on one

Chloe Wright, a first grade student at Johnson Elementary School in Franklin, TN, recently got to ride home from school on a fire truck as part of her award for winning the Franklin Fire Department’s Fire Prevention Week poster contest.

According to a report on The Tennessean, firefighters picked up Wright and her mom, Gayle Wright, at the school on November. 17.

Five other Franklin children will also receive a fire truck ride for winning first place in their grade levels in the contest. The winning students are kindergartner Owen Pack of Trinity Elementary School, second-grader Grace Simmons of Clovercroft Elementary School, third-grader Sadie Sokowski of Clovercroft Elementary School, fourth-grader Michael Fekete of Franklin Elementary School and fifth-grader Faye Collins of Winstead Elementary School.

Winning entries illustrated the theme “Protect your family from fire!”

Georgia sisters win Fire Prevention Week art contest

Attending the 19th annual “Life, Fire & Safety” Awards Luncheon are: Wilson Creek art teacher Isabelle Bush, Chief Pat Wilson, Candy the Fire Safety Clown, 1st grader Kelly Jeong, Deputy Fire Marshal Chris Stephens, 4th grader Christine Jeong, Jeff Hogan, and State Fire Marshal Dwayne Garriss. Photo: Wilson Creek Elementary School

Two students at Wilson Creek Elementary School in Duluth, GA, sisters Christine Jeong and Kelly Jeong, were named winners of a statewide fire safety art contest. In honor of Fire Prevention Week, the Georgia Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner and the Georgia Fire Sprinkler Association held a fire safety tips calendar and poster contest. According to a report on JohnsCreekPatch.com, fourth-grader Christine won the cover of the Fire Safety Calendar 2012, which will be sent to more than 10,000 schools across the state. Her sister Kelly won first place for her age group for the poster contest and was awarded a $100 savings bond. The sisters were honored at the 19th annual Fire Safety Banquet in Forsyth on October 11.

Good Night 2011 FPW

The 2011 FPW Blog Team: Sharon Gamache, Lauren Backstrom, Mike Hazell, Eileen Scafidi, Judy Comoletti, Courtney Flynn (Missing from photo are Lisa Braxton, Maria Figueroa, Liz Hyde and Amy LeBeau)

The FPW blog team will be taking a long winter’s nap after posting 81 blogs during the 2011 FPW campaign. We tried to provide you with a wide variety of topics including people with disabilities, FPW events and banners throughout the country, famous artist Ed Emberley’s how to draw a Dalmatian, name that fire song, home fire sprinklers, products, fun things to do with Sparky, presentation ideas and lots more.

We’ve enjoyed having you visit us on the blog and consider you part of the NFPA family. Sparky’s website received a record number of visits during the month of October – 568,919, our annual Scholastic project reached more than 445,000 preschool – grade 5 classrooms and the FPW blog had 14,104 visits – that’s 3,000 more visits than last year!

Thanks to you for making 2011 Fire Prevention Week a great campaign. We look forward to seeing you next year!

- Judy Comoletti

NFPA provides tips on home safety for people with disabilities in large buildings

People with disabilities who live in mid-level and high-rise apartment buildings face unique challenges in ensuring their safety in an emergency. They may be in a building with numerous exit stairwells and routes to the outside occupied by lots of neighbors they don’t know and overseen by managers who aren’t familiar with their particular disability and the accommodations they may need to evacuate safely. NFPA’s flyer,” Mid-Level and High-Rise Apartment Safety for People with Disabilities,” includes tips for working with building management, the local fire department, and other residents on safe evacuation, and also provides information on evacuation aids and emergency preparation. Also available in Spanish, the flyer is one of the newer items on the web site for people with disabilities. The public education division also provides reports, classroom lesson plans, tip sheets, and evacuation guides. All items are free and on the web site.

–Lisa Braxton

America’s commitment to FPW

Another successful Fire Prevention Week (FPW) has come and passed, and NFPA would like to thank all educators, fire service members, residents and employees who worked to get the fire safety message out to their communities.  This past FPW marked the 89^th year of the public education campaign, which was established to commemorate the Great Chicago Fire of 1871.  Five decades later, President Calvin Coolidge issued the first national Fire Prevention Week proclamation. 

Can you name the 2^nd president to issue a FPW proclamation?  Check out the full listing of historical FPW presidential proclamations on the FPW page.

Sparky the Fire Dog meets fans at local bookstore

On a recent sunny Saturday afternoon, Sparky the Fire Dog® (the official mascot of the National Fire Protection Association) visited The Blue Bunny Bookstore, a children’s emporium full of books, puppets, toys, and much more in historic downtown Dedham, MA. When Sparky wasn’t outside greeting passersby, he was in the store meeting dozens of children and enjoying hearing his new book, "Sparky the Fire Dog", being read aloud by store manager Janet Reynolds. In the book, Sparky is just a puppy, but he dreams of being a grown-up super hero, taking a group of young animals through their neighborhood to point out fire hazards and give them basic prevention and safety tips.

Meanwhile, back at The Blue Bunny, it was a great day for everyone – Sparky enjoyed all the children, who loved his story and were thrilled to meet him, with lots of hugs and smiles all around. The book is available in major bookstores, at Amazon.com, and in libraries.

Here are photos of Sparky with some of his fans at The Blue Bunny Bookstore.

- Steve Dornbusch

Fire Prevention Week (FPW) in SC culminates with side-by-side burn at Lancaster Safety Fair

NFPA teamed up with the South Carolina Fire Sprinkler Coalition, South Carolina Fire and Life Safety Education Association (SC FALSE), and the Lancaster Fire Department to increase awareness of the power of fire and the difference a fire sprinkler makes.  

The eighteenth annual Lancaster County Safety Fair was held on Saturday, October 15. But this year, it marked the end of FPW with a side-by-side burn demonstration. "Sometimes people just need to see it to believe it," says Les Woods, President of the SC FALSE. He adds; "With our side-by-side comparison, we can show both the danger of fire and the value of having a fire sprinkler system installed."

Approximately 150 families with children were present for the demonstration. All who attended were provided PFW general fire safety educational materials and home fire sprinkler specific materials. When I spoke with a firefighter's wife who was present she told me; "I wish these were installed in all the homes my husband goes to fight fire; it would make me sleep better at night."

Just because FPW is over doesn’t mean that SC FALSE is going to stop providing community awareness on the benefits of fire sprinklers. There are two more side-by-side burn demonstration events at different locations in October, and one more planned in November.

What are you going to do beyond FPW to educate your community about home fire sprinklers? Share your thoughts and ideas here with us.

To obtain resources for ongoing community education visit NFPA’s Fire Sprinkler Safety Information site. To obtain a side-by-side burn demonstration kit and other free educational materials, visit the Home Fire Sprinkler Coalition’s website.

Maria Figueroa