A Renaissance Fire and Life Safety Education Workshop

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VIDEO0018.3gp (17.33 MB)

Do You Sleep With a Firefighter?

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Common Voices PSA-2010-1 Vina Drennan-long.wmv (15.72 MB)

Fire Sprinkler Facts

Fire Power: Content Still Good

National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) recently revisited the video Fire Power. I find it interesting that many safety educators often talk about the quality of this video. The clothing and house furnishings are tremendously out of date, but the content holds its value.

According to the recent blog post:

“In 1986 NFPA created the award winning video – Fire Power – which takes a firsthand look at the deadly dynamics of fire from ignition to full room involvement. At every twist and turn of the video, viewers geta  bird’s-eye view of fire’s path of destruction and are astonished at how rapidly smoke and flames from a small fire envelop a home, making escape virtually impossible.

Much has changed since Fire Power was produced. What has not changed is the awesome power of fire. For the 25^th anniversary, NFPA revisits a few of the original scenes with the original narrator, Boston News Reporter Jack Harper, to talk about the dramatic footage and the role home fire sprinklers play in saving lives and property.”

You can view the post and YouTube video at http://bit.ly/g4fHIq

The video is worth a watch. It stresses how effective the video was in 1986 – and how the information is still valid when teaching people about the dangers of fire. It shows all of the highlights of the original video. Total running time is only 7:12.

Ohio State Fire Marshal Reminder: Most Fireworks Are Illegal

Issued by the
Ohio Department of Commerce
Shane Cartmill, Public Information Officer

State Fire Marshal Reminds Citizens That Most New Year’s Fireworks Are Illegal

Interim State Fire Marshal Donald Cooper is asking citizens to leave New Year’s fireworks displays to the professionals while also reminding revelers that many fireworks are illegal to discharge in the State of Ohio. This reminder comes in the wake of two serious fireworks-related injuries in the past week.

“The best way for Ohioans to prevent fireworks injuries is to attend a licensed, professional fireworks exhibition on New Year’s Eve,” said Interim State Fire Marshal Donald Cooper. “Keep in mind that even trick and novelty fireworks, like sparklers, are inherently dangerous and can cause serious injury.”

Fireworks, like bottle rockets and roman candles that are sold at fireworks stores around Ohio, can be legally purchased in the state, but must be taken out of Ohio for discharge. “You must be at least 18 years of age to buy items such as firecrackers and bottle rockets at the stores you see along the roadways of Ohio,” said Cooper.  “But firing them off within state boundaries is strictly prohibited.”

Under Ohio's fireworks law, stiff penalties can be applied for the illegal possession or discharge of fireworks.  It is a first-degree misdemeanor for non-licensed individuals to discharge fireworks in Ohio, to falsify an application when purchasing fireworks, or to possess them for more than 48 hours without taking them out-of-state.  First-time offenders are subject to up to a $1,000 fine and six months imprisonment. 

The only types of fireworks that can be legally purchased and discharged in Ohio are trick and novelty devices. These include items that smoke, sparkle, snap and snake.

On December 25^th, a 21-year-old Butler County man received serious injuries to his hand after fireworks he was using detonated. A day later, a 33-year-old Warren County man received serious injuries to both hands after fireworks he was using detonated on the balcony of his apartment building. Both incidents remain under investigation by the Division of State Fire Marshal and the local authorities.

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Lock the Barn Door

I am sharing this email that I sent to fire prevention professionals this past week. I believe that the message needs to be heard loud and clear. It's time for us to wake up. People need to realize that they are responsible for their safety.

By the time fire departments arrive at your home when it is burning you are dead if you've not planned ahead, exited the home or at the very least protected your family with working alarms to warn you of the danger. Of course, people reading this will likely be the choir to whom I am preaching.

People need to stop trying to put out their own fires. Fire service personnel in the U.S. need to realize that we are already responding to a loss every time we go. When a family has a fire -- we are only mitigating a problem that has already happened. Why are we not doing a better job at teaching people how to prevent these problems from happening in the first place?

I have updated a few things from the original message.

 In the State of Ohio we have now realized 137 fire fatalities for the year.

I’m sending this one for your info and consideration. It is a few years old (2007), but I have read this many times and often I still get very frustrated by the content. There are so many ways to prevent fires – and yet we as a service cater our budgets to the need for buying and staffing trucks. Firefighter safety is ABSOLUTELY important, but we also have ways to keep our firefighters safer, while allowing them to also be advocates for prevention. I feel this is a great read if you’ve never explored it.

“…the United States, while having substantially reduced its fire death rate, is still 30 percent to 50 percent higher than its peer nations…”

 “Other countries place a higher premium on their ability to prevent fires rather than their ability to put them out once they occur.”

I find that fire prevention educators still have a conflicted mindset on this, as well. They are often also suppression firefighters (and we LOVE to fight the fire). But they often miss the point. Prevention means fewer lives lost or injured, fewer properties destroyed or damaged. Saying, “I can’t convince these fire chiefs; their minds are made up; they can only fund staffing issues, not prevention” isn’t good enough. We’ve raised the white flag and are ineffective in our mission when we do this.

“Americans tend to view fires as an inevitable part of life and, unlike citizens in other countries, are more prone to characterize fires as unfortunate ‘accidents’.”

Please read the report when you can. And thanks for spending the time on this lengthy email. If you have arrived at this point of the text, I know you cared enough to receive the message.

Ways to reduce fire losses and deaths are neither unknown nor arcane. The primary way and the goal of any effort in this area must be to prevent fires in the first place. – America Burning Re-commissioned (2000)

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