National Burn Awareness Week, February 3-9, is an opportunity for organizations to mobilize in sharing burn awareness and prevention messaging. Each year, theAmerican Burn Associationdevelops educational resources to assist burn survivor groups, and public safety and public education professionals to provide information to the public. Scald is this year’s theme.
According to NFPA, most fire-related injuries are burns. In fact, approximately every 60 seconds someone in the United States sustains a burn injury serious enough to require treatment.
American Burn Association statistics show that each day more than 300 children are seen in emergency rooms and two children die from burn injuries. ABA provides template proclamations, social media posts and an infographic.NFPA’s Burn Awareness pageincludes videos, scald prevention tip sheets, a toolkit for educators, a technical article, and children’s activity sheets.
Each year, NFPA bestows the Fire and Life Safety Educator of the Year award on an educator who works for a local fire department or fire marshal’s office in the U.S. or Canada and uses NFPA's materials in consistent and creative ways. The recipient demonstrates excellence and innovation in reaching out to the community, and views NFPA as the leading source for fire safety information. Only weeks remain to submit anapplicationfor this year’s award. The deadline is Friday, February 15th, 2019.
Denise Hynes, public educator for Toronto Fire Services, was chosen for the 2018 award. She has been using NFPA programs and materials since 2002. She works in the fifth largest fire department in North America, in one of the most diverse cities in the world, and serves a population of nearly three million residents. Her colleagues describe her as a tireless educator who has an unbelievable passion and enthusiasm for her job.
As her award year came to a close, Hynes spoke with me about her experience.
LB:Congratulations again, Denise, for being chosen for this award last year. What were your thoughts when you found out an application was being submitted on your behalf?
DH:When my division chief advised he was submitting my name for the 2018 NFPA Educator of the Year, my first reaction was "Please don't!” As we all know, nothing in the fire service is about one person–it's all about working together as a team. Upon hearing we were chosen, I was so proud to be able to accept on behalf of ALL of the women and men of Toronto Fire Services who strive to educate as our first line of defense.
LB:What are some of your highlights from the past year?
DH:What a year!! Being presented with the NFPA Award in Las Vegas by retired Toronto Fire Services Fire Chief William Stewart; presenting on our programming to a full house at the Conference & Expo; receiving requests to present at fire services across North America; participating in an NFPA webinar; donating the honorarium to Camp BUCKO, a burn camp for children; meeting wonderful people who have become friends; and receiving messages of congratulations from my peers are just a few of the amazing things resulting from the award.
LB: Did you have any “I have to pinch myself” moments in connection to receiving the award?
DH: In late 2018, I was honored to be asked to drop the puck at a Toronto Marlie's hockey game, and I was part of a smoke/CO Alarm education campaign with one of my original all-star hockey heroes and two of our current star players!
LB:Wow! What a year. Is there anything you’d like to add?
DH: It has been an unbelievable, amazing and rewarding year–and a real career topper as I enter my 30th year of service. Thank you NFPA–for the honor, the amazing support over the years, for giving Canada Laura King, [NFPA Canada Public Education Representative]and sending me on my first trip to Las Vegas; I got to see the Grand Canyon and gained a first-hand appreciation of the world famous "What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas!" tag line.
Last week, flames ripped through Southside Christian Childcare in Louisville, Kentucky. According tonews reports, the employees were able to get all of the children out and into a nearby Home Depot building while firefighters fought the flames.
The fire departmentcredited the employees with saving the children’s lives and stated that the child-care organization’s leadership and accountability are a reflection of a well-practiced fireescape plan.
“The police department’s message is ‘Don’t drink and drive.’ Our message is to have a fire safety plan,” said Jefferson County Fire spokesman Jordan Yuodis earlier this week. “Today is a good example of a fire escape plan and it saved lives.”
All employees received a certificate of appreciation. The cause of the fire is under investigation.
As the old saying goes, everything is bigger in Texas! In December, Operation Save a Life worked with Dallas Fire and Rescue to reach at-risk homes with smoke alarm installations. At the after-school event held in the Dallas area, families were able to sign up to have their smoke alarms checked and new ones installed if they needed them. As always, Sparky entertained the kids with his manymusic videos and educational videos.This event was a great ending to 2018 but more so a big beginning for the Public Education Division at Dallas Fire and Rescue. This year the educators are out getting training, redesigning plans, and reaching more audiences. Fire marshals and educators across Texas will be attending theNorth Texas FireMarshal Association Conferencein the coming weeks. They will be learning abouteducational messaging,the latest technology updates, and how to stay current. It might only be January but Texas is heating up with all the fire prevention activities that are kicking off 2019.
Electronic cigarettes, powered by lithium-ion batteries, have ignited or exploded, resulting in severe injuries, including third degree burns, lacerations and loss of body parts. According to astudy by George Mason University, injuries have been underestimated by federal agencies. A new report, published inTobacco Control, found that there are far more e-cigarette explosions and burn injuries in the United States than past reports estimated.
Data from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission found an estimated 2,035 emergency department visits from e-cigarette explosions and burn injuries from 2015 to 2017, which is thought to be an underestimate since not all of the injured seek medical treatment.
The report warns that users and bystanders risk serious bodily injury from unregulated e-cigarette batteries exploding.
Only weeks remain to submit anapplicationfor the Fire and Life Safety Educator of the Year Award. The deadline is Friday, February 15th, 2019. NFPA is looking for fire and life safety educators in the United States and Canada who have these qualifications:
· Work for a local/municipal fire department or fire marshal’s office.
· Use NFPA educational programs and materials in a consistent and creative way.
· Demonstrate excellence and innovation, reaching out to the community with NFPA materials.
The Educator of the Year receives a $1,000 honorarium, travel to NFPA Conference and Expo in San Antonio in June for an award presentation, paid conference registration, and an engraved Sparky® statue.
The local fire department receives a $1,000 donation to support public education activities.
As I was driving home last night, I was a little surprised to see how many homes still have Christmas trees inside. I get it – it’s tough to say goodbye to the season and pack away the decorations. But there’s good reason to part ways with your Christmas tree once the holidays are over: One-third (33 percent) of U.S. home fires that begin with Christmas trees occur in January.
Christmas trees are combustible items that become increasingly flammable as they continue to dry. The longer a tree is in the home, the more of a fire hazard it becomes. Sure, all Christmas trees can burn, but a dried out tree can become engulfed in flames in a matter of seconds. The tragic Christmas tree fires that have occurred in recent years, which have resulted in deadly consequences for multiple family members, including young children, gravely bare this out.
NFPA statistics show that Christmas tree fires are not common, but when they do occur, they’re much more likely to be serious. On annual average, one of every 45 reported home fires that began with a Christmas tree resulted in a death, compared to one death per 139 total reported home structure fires.
NFPA recommends using the local community’s recycling program for tree disposal, if possible; trees should not be put in the garage or left outside. We also offer these tips for safely removing lighting and decorations and storing them properly to ensure that they’re in good condition the following season:
Use the gripping area on the plug when unplugging electrical decorations. Never pull the cord to unplug any device from an electrical outlet, as this can harm the wire and insulation of the cord, increasing the risk for shock or electrical fire.
As you pack up light strings, inspect each line for damage, throwing out any sets that have loose connections, broken sockets or cracked or bare wires.
Wrap each set of lights and put them in individual plastic bags, or wrap them around a piece of cardboard.
Store electrical decorations in a dry place away from children and pets where they will not be damaged by water or dampness.
At a recent NFPA update for new fire and life safety educators, I gave the challenge to conduct a home fire drill with your family at night. With the busyness of the holidays and a to do list a mile long, we talked about the importance of having an escape plan for your entire family. We had a lively discussion about family that will be visiting, road trips staying inhotels and motelsas well as holiday food which led tocooking safety.Winter holiday safetycan include decorating and entertaining with safety in mind. Two days after the class I got an email with the photo from this local fire marshals family. He made sure that his wife and baby were safe by practicing one cold night. His email simply said thanks for MAKING us do the plan. Now onto the presents and holiday fun this Christmas season.
Over 200 public education and community risk reduction specialists from 14 states gathered in Edison, New Jersey this week to hear from a variety of subject matter experts from across nine states at the Mid-Atlantic Safety Summit. Topics included; the ABC's of Public Education Messaging, an update on NPFA 3000, the Remembering When Program, an overview of Regional data, and model programs from the Mid-Atlantic Region. Charles Lavin, from the New Jersey Division of Fire Safety, encouraged attendees to take advantage of the networking opportunity at the event as well, noting that the concept for this Summit came out of a similar setting this past June at NFPA's Conference and Expo.
Pictured (L to R) Charles Lavin NJDFS Community Risk Reduction Unit. Meredith Hawse Pub Ed Specialist, NFPA, Richard Mikutsky, Director NJDFS and NJ State Fire Marshal, Kevin Krushinski, Chairman, NJ Fire Safety Commission.
NFPA has teamed up once again with the U.S. Fire Administration for the “Put a Freeze on Winter Fires” campaign to help remind everyone that the winter months are the leading time of year for home fires. The updated infographics, available in English and Spanish include safety tips on cooking, heating, candles, and holiday decorating and can be used as handouts, social media posts, or displayed on bulletin boards. The infographics are among the many items provided this season on holiday safety.
If you’re interested in learning more about how NFPA’s educational messaging is created, how to use the Educational Messages Desk Reference, and details on the newest additions to the document, then you’ll want to listen to an interview in which I was the guest on CRR radio. Ed Comeau, a former fire investigator whose firm, Writer-Tech.com publishes the monthly newsletter Campus Firewatch, conducted the interview. The 2018 edition of the Educational Messages Desk Reference for the Fire Service and Fire and Life Safety Educators has 27 chapters of burn and fire safety messaging and includes sections tailored to young audiences and individuals with limited English proficiency.
Sparky the Fire Dog® and his friend Simon, the smoke alarm tester, were the talk of a primary school in Tehran, Iran, recently as part of Fire Prevention Week.
Fire officials, including Abbas Khadangi (far left) and public educator Neda Hajikhanian (right) presented the Look, Listen, Learn theme to the children in both English and Persian. Neda says that in the future, she and her colleagues are hoping to bring NFPA’s educational messages to additional primary school students, high school students and community members.
Toronto Fire Services Public Educator and 2018 NFPA Fire and Life Safety Educator of the Year Denise Hynes, works in the fifth largest fire department in North America. Learn how she has developed workshops, prop kits, and safety events using NFPA resources to reach community members from preschool to older adult and across diverse groups. She will be joined by Laura King, NFPA public education representative.
The webinar takes place on Tuesday, November 13, from 2:00-3:00 p.m. EST.
Big, bold efforts were made in Michigan this week in effort to raise awareness for Fire Prevention Week, with an end-goal to affect the fire fatality rate that seems to be on the rise in Michigan. A state-wide proclamation was signed by Governor Rick Snyder proclaiming October as not just Fire Prevention Week, but Fire Prevention Month, stating that "the majority of fire deaths, (4 out of 5) occur at home each year, and if you have a fire in your home you are more likely to die today than you were a few decades ago according to the National Fire Protection Association". And he continued "Michiganders are urged to create and practice a home escape plan that includes identifying two exits from every room in the home".
State Fire Marshal Kevin Sehlmeyer shared Governor Snyder's proclamation along with a Community Risk Reduction (CRR) National Fire Prevention Week Social Media Toolkit across the state encouraging prevention specialists and educators to follow the calendar that was provided, and to focus on messaging for the entire month of October. "Please also encourage your friends and family to share the daily message" he urged.
Michael McLeieer, President of E.S.C.A.P.E. Inc., kicked off live broadcasts for Fire Prevention Week 2018 at WOOD TV 8 in Grand Rapids, Michigan with a great representation from fire officials from all over the state representing both the career and paid on call / volunteer fire service. Support was on hand from AARP, the NFPA, and Sparky the Fire Dog to encourage Michiganders of all ages to "Look. Listen. Learn. Be aware. Fire can start anywhere". "Despite the cold and damp weather, it was another huge success." Michael reported, "We were able to get a lot of messaging out to the viewers". Michael and "Jake the Fire Dog" continued to spread the fire safety messages through Jake's social media page.
Fire Departments in six states received Fire Prevention Week kits from State Farm Community outreach grants this October. Thanks to the generosity of State Farm, agents delivered kits to fire departments to expand their fire prevention activities. Fire Departments that attended fire safety summits in three states and other trainings in Michigan and Ohio were surprised by resources for their community. State Farm has funded Fire Safety summits across the nation this year and continue to support the Wildfire Preparedness Day and Arson Dog programs. Its true that Like a Good Neighbor, State Farm IS THERE!