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 The clothing and house furnishings are tremendously out of date, but the content holds its value.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.

Four Minutes to Save Your Life

 

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InstallInspectProtect_EdVideo.wmv (31.61 MB)

The U.S. Fire Administration (USFA) launched the Install. Inspect. Protect. Campaign, encouraging people to install and maintain smoke alarms and sprinklers, practice fire escape plans, and perform a home safety walk-through.

The USFA recommends installing smoke alarms both inside and outside of  sleeping areas and on every level of your home; testing them monthly; changing alkaline batteries at least once a year; and installing ionization and photoelectric smoke alarms or dual sensor smoke alarms. For more information, visit www.usfa.dhs.gov/smokealarms or call the USFA Publications Office at (800) 561-3356.

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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Wal-Mart Recalls Electric Heaters Due to Fire and Burn Hazard

Wal-Mart Recalls Electric Heaters Due to Fire and Burn Hazard

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, in cooperation with the firm named below, today announced a voluntary recall of the following consumer product. Consumers should stop using recalled products immediately unless otherwise instructed. It is illegal to resell or attempt to resell a recalled consumer product.

Name of Product: Flow Pro, Airtech, Aloha Breeze & Comfort Essentials Heaters

Units: About 2.2 million

Importer: Wal-Mart Stores Inc., of Bentonville, Arkansas

Hazard: The heaters can malfunction resulting in overheating, smoking, burning, melting and fire.

Incidents/Injuries: Wal-Mart has received 21 reports of incidents, which included 11 reports of property damage beyond the heater. Injuries were reported in four incidents, three of which required medical attention for minor burns and smoke inhalation. The remaining incidents included smoke irritation, sparking or property damage beyond the heater.

Description: This recall involves Flow Pro, Airtech, Aloha Breeze and Comfort Essentials 1500 watt heaters. The heaters are grey with a metal handle on the top with vents and grey control knobs on the front. The model number is 1013 and can be found on a label on the lower left corner of the back panel of the heater.

Sold Exclusively at: Walmart stores nationwide from December 2001 through October 2009 for about $18.

Manufactured in: China

Remedy: Consumers should immediately stop using the recalled heater and return the product to any Walmart store for a full refund.

Consumer Contact: For additional information, contact Wal-Mart toll-free at (800) 925-6278 between 7 a.m. and 9 p.m. CT Monday through Friday, or visit the firm�s website at www.walmart.com

  

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CPSC is still interested in receiving incident or injury reports that are either directly related to this product recall or involve a different hazard with the same product. Please tell us about it by visiting https://www.cpsc.gov/cgibin/incident.aspx

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission is charged with protecting the public from unreasonable risks of serious injury or death from thousands of types of consumer products under the agency's jurisdiction. The CPSC is committed to protecting consumers and families from products that pose a fire, electrical, chemical, or mechanical hazard. The CPSC's work to ensure the safety of consumer products - such as toys, cribs, power tools, cigarette lighters, and household chemicals - contributed significantly to the decline in the rate of deaths and injuries associated with consumer products over the past 30 years.

To report a dangerous product or a product-related injury, call CPSC's Hotline at (800) 638-2772 or CPSC's teletypewriter at (301) 595-7054. To join a CPSC e-mail subscription list, please go to https://www.cpsc.gov/cpsclist.aspx. Consumers can obtain recall and general safety information by logging on to CPSC's Web site at www.cpsc.gov.

Fire Is...

I've been impressed by the efforts of Dr. Frank Field and his children, Storm and Allison, for many years. As reporters they have seen the tragedy of fire in the faces of the victims. They have heard the stories of sorrow and regret from those that are left behind.

Made possible by a grant by MetLife in 2006, Field and his team released a series of videos designed to help people -- especially middle school kids -- learn the true nature of fire. Through the grant a DVD made its way into fire stations around the country as an insert to Firehouse magazine.

According to Field, 

Most fire education in this country is directed at elementary school students, primarily to young children who color pictures and learn to "stop, drop and roll." The middle school students in 5th, 6th, and 7th grades are not taught the truth - that fire is not fun. "Fire Is…" identifies fire as dangerous and shows what can happen when children are burned or killed in a blaze.

Dr. Field's video Fire Is... is being shown across the nation -- in classrooms, on web sites and in homes. I first started using it in my programs in 2006, as well.

Here's the first of the series, called Fire is... Black. Please share it. Dr. Field would be pleased and lives may be saved.

Fire Prevention Week October 3-9

It's Time to "PUT IT DOWN"

Source: Distraction.gov

Drivers Simply Can't Do Two Things At Once

• Drivers who use hand-held devices while driving are four times as likely to get into crashes serious enough to injure themselves or others.
• The proportion of drivers reportedly distracted at the time of the fatal crashes has increased from 8 percent in 2004 to 11 percent in 2008.
• One of the most commonly recognized distractions is cell phone use. Cell phone subscriptions have grown exponentially from 1988 through 2009.

About 89 percent, or approximately 277 million of all Americans, have a cell phone, according to CTIA – The Wireless Association. For many, it is the only kind of telephone they possess. In a recent National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) survey, most individuals (77 percent) reported that they talk on the phone while driving at least some of the time.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Everyone Has A Personal Responsibility

With more portable technology now than ever, driver distractions have risen to unprecedented numbers. We live in a world where people expect instant, real- time information 24 hours-a-day and those desires do not stop just because people get behind the wheel. Drivers simply do not realize the dangers that are posed when they take their eyes and minds off the road and their hands off the wheel and focus on activities other than driving.Common sense and personal responsibility are a major part of the solution. We simply can't legislate our way out of this problem. It's up to each and every person to make sure they "Put It Down" and pay attention to road. The risks are simply too high!

Young Drivers Are Especially At Risk

Younger, inexperienced drivers under 20 years old have the highest proportion of distraction-related fatal crashes. Their lack of driving experience can contribute to critical misjudgments if they become distracted. Not surprisingly, they text more than any other age group and the numbers of young drivers who text is only increasing.

It's a trend that poses a growing danger, so it's important to address this issue now. Parents need to set good example for their children and show them from an early age that it is just not safe to text and/or talk on their phone while driving.

Everyone Is Part of the Solution

"Put It Down" is a broad, public-private partnership of community and health groups, safety advocates, businesses, law enforcement, legislators, public officials, concerned citizens and those who have lost loved ones because of a distracted driver. These partners realize that eliminating distractions while driving will save lives and reduce costs associated with crashes caused by distracted drivers. And because everyone is potentially affected when drivers are distracted, everyone must be part of the solution.

For more information and specific tools for the groups below, please visit the Get Involved section of www.distraction.gov:

• Community Group Materials
• School Materials
• Parent Materials
• Employer Materials
• Law Enforcement Materials

Get Sing a Song for Safety CD for $5!

For a limited time, the Sing a Song for Safety CD can be purchased at CD Baby for only $5.

Choose 3 or more different CDs from the CD Baby Sale Bin and get each CD for just $5. Each CD will be listed at full price until you place at least 3 different eligible CDs into your shopping cart. You can get 3 to 1 million CDs for $5 each, so sample as much new music as you want!

What a great opportunity for you to hear new music from more artists AND get a copy of Sing a Song for Safety, too! Go there now! (Don't forget to click the $5 banner in the upper right to choose more albums.)

NOTE: Download purchases are not eligible for the $5 sale.

Retention vs. Viral Impact: Safety Education

Reach Them, But Keep Them

I just read an article on Mashable that discusses the importance of having retention in your social media marketing. The basic premise is that many companies and campaigns measure viral impact. This is, of course, important, but we all know that viral impact may be short-lived. It is great to reach thousands or hundreds of thousands of people with a message. That may last a day or two, though, and then crash. The hot topic of today become's yesterday's news -- then fades to obscurity.

In the article, Jeremy Richardson says,

Just because something becomes viral does not mean it will stay viral for long. Even if a situation arose where all the stars of virality are aligned — all of the users are inviting all of their friends, and all of their friends accept -– if there is no real retention, this phase will not last. The number of users will reach a saturation point, and then start to decline. If retention isn’t being tracked, then we have no idea why this is happening.

Big Numbers Don't Mean Big Results

It has always bothered me that one of the primary tracking methods used by public safety education programs is to count the number of people "reached." In a nutshell, it seems common practice to do a simple head count of the people that are present during a safety lesson, safety demonstration, or fire house tour. This number is then added to the mix and reported each year in the agency annual report. For instance, each year for the past 19 years I have taught approximately 8,500 children from preschool age through high school. If I do simple math, I can say that 161,500 children total have heard me present a lesson on safety.

Make An Impact, Bring Them Back

In my opinion, evaluation of the results of the safety lesson is the true factor in determining the effect. The number of people reached means nothing. Seriously. If I reach 8,500 kids with a message, but none of the kids retain that message -- therefore no behavior change results -- has the safety message made an impact? Wouldn't it be more important to show numbers where the lesson has made an impact? For example, isn't it better to show that X number of children stayed safe by exhibiting safe behaviors? That, however, is the bane of the safety educator. How does one document the fire that didn't happen or the fall that didn't cause an injury? You can't report intangibles.

So the key, then is retention. In order for us to affect change in behavior, environment or even basic safety knowledge, we must continue to deliver the message time and time again. We, the safety educators, hope to reach as many people as possible, of course. We also hope that they will remember what is said and carry the message forth. We earnestly hope that they will be interested enough to want to receive our messages. Their personal motivation and interest will bring them into a safety lesson with a desire to hear and see the potential to protect their own lives and property. It will help them remember the key information that will then be carried home to their families or back to their workplace. And, when we return again next month or next year, they will be willing to absorb the message.

Honestly, if a person is in my class, but asleep in their chair... I've presented the content, but have I really reached them? I can count this person as a warm body in the class, but there will be zero retention of a message they didn't hear.