HSC Receives Grant to Build Capacity for Fire and Life Safety Education

Partners Include Johns Hopkins University Center for Injury Research and Policy and Weekly Reader Corporation Custom Publishing

WASHINGTON — The nonprofit Home Safety Council (HSC) has been awarded a 2005 Fire Prevention and Safety grant in the amount of $1 million from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security/Office of Grants and Training. This funding will support key components of HSC's ongoing efforts to build capacity for fire and life safety education in America.

"A balanced fire service strategy is fundamental to public safety; and we believe that fire and life safety education is an essential component," says Home Safety Council President Meri-K Appy. "We are eager to help the fire service deliver high-quality, effective education programs for every member of their community, and especially for those at greatest risk of fire and other home injuries."

The Home Safety Council will focus on three main project areas to help strengthen America's public safety education foundation: Conduct a national fire and life safety education needs assessment; provide more free fire safety and burn prevention resources and distribute them broadly; and provide educators from local and state fire organizations with training and technical assistance on proven public education practices online and through a national Best Practices Conference.

National Needs Assessment
Currently, there is no clear national picture of the status of public education in the fire service. We need to learn more about the number of dedicated personnel, their level of training and experience, and the outreach they do within their communities. We also need to understand the resources that are currently available to them and what important tools and support may be lacking. Obtaining these data through a national survey of fire departments will shed new light on a critical component of local fire service delivery, and it will inform the development of training and outreach materials in the future. The Home Safety Council, (with support from the International Association of Fire Chiefs), will partner with Johns Hopkins School of Public Health Center for Injury Research and Policy to conduct the assessment in the summer of 2006.

Free Fire Safety and Burn Prevention Resources
In partnership with Weekly Reader Corporation Custom Publishing, the Home Safety Council will distribute high quality, reproducible materials on fire safety and burn prevention to daycare, preschool, elementary and middle school teachers as well as to senior activity center directors. This highly targeted program will reach nearly 23 million people, with special emphasis on high-risk audiences.

In addition, these materials and related presentation guidance will be compiled into a Fire and Life Safety Educator Toolbox which will be distributed to fire departments at no charge, through the Expert Network, the Home Safety Council's online resource
(http://www.homesafetycouncil.org/expertnetwork). Since 2004, HSC has been providing safety educators with a diverse range of free teaching materials, videos and downloadable content through the Expert Network. This grant makes it possible to fund the development of additional teaching tools in Spanish and in "Plain English" (for greater accessibility by the 93 million adults in the U.S. with low literacy skills).

National Best Practices Conference
The Home Safety Council will host the first National Fire and Life Safety Education Best Practices Conference in November 2006. In cooperation with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, HSC will introduce a selection of programs that have earned Fire Prevention and Safety Grant funding to key state fire representatives and selected local fire and life safety educators. They in turn will share these successful tools and strategies within their jurisdictions. Information about these "best practice programs" will also be delivered through the HSC Expert Network for widespread adoption and use in communities throughout America.

The conference will include a unique focus forum process to build upon the findings of the fire and life safety education needs assessment and to identify key "helping factors" that will make a positive difference in the field. This valuable local insight will be captured in the final Needs Assessment Report, which the Home Safety Council will publish and post online for ready access by all.

"We are grateful to have this vital financial underpinning to help the Home Safety Council reach out and support the fire service. Working together, we will strengthen the infrastructure of our nation's fire and life safety education, ultimately creating safer homes and safer communities across America," Appy says.

To learn more about these programs, visit the Home Safety Council Expert Network at http://www.homesafetycouncil.org/expertnetwork. Membership in the Expert Network is free to U.S. fire department educators.

About Home Safety Council
The Home Safety Council (HSC) is the only national nonprofit organization solely dedicated to preventing home related injuries that result in nearly 20,000 deaths and 21 million medical visits on average each year. Through national programs, partnerships and the support of volunteers, HSC educates people of all ages to be safer in and around their homes. The Home Safety Council is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization located in Washington, DC.