Public Fire Safety Education
Public Fire and Life Safety Programs
The Public Education Division promotes programs that aim to reduce loss of life and property through education via the following services:
- Fire and injury prevention for all groups, including high-risk (seniors, people with disabilities, young children)
- Train-the-trainer instruction in public fire/life safety education for firefighters and other emergency responders
- Training in fire and non-fire incident reporting for fire departments
- Fireworks law and safety for general audiences
- In-service training for children’s fire/injury prevention conducted for teachers and caregivers
- Emergency planning/fire safety for public facilities
- Public speaking for civic, governmental and advocacy organizations
- Participation in health and safety fairs/seminars
- Press conferences, TV and radio interviews
- Biannual newsletter, mailings to fire departments and SFM website (informational including safety topics, educational, reporting and training requirements, etc.)
- Monthly newsletters on fire safety and related topics
- nullCoordinating loan and distribution of educational materials to fire departments, safety groups, schools, businesses and the general public
- Coordinating FEMA Assistance to Firefighter Grant workshops
- Collecting fire and non-fire data from all WV fire departments to identify statewide and regional fire and life safety education needs
- Developing local, state and federal level partnerships to improve and increase existing fire and injury prevention efforts
- Pursuing grants that enable the SFMO to obtain smoke alarms for distribution and installation projects statewide
CHILDREN’S WEBSITES FOR FIRE & LIFE SAFETY
Home Safety Council
http://www.homesafetycouncil.org
Sparky the Fire Dog® (National Fire Protection Association)
http://www.sparky.org
Risk Watch (National Fire Protection Association)
http://www.riskwatch.org
FEMA for Kids
http://www.fema.gov/kids
USFA’s Kids Page
http:///www.usfa.dhs.gov/kids/flash.shtm
SmokeyKids
http://www.smokeybear.com/kids/default.asp
Safe Kids Worldwide
http://www.safekids.org
Consumer Product Safety Commission
http://www.cpsc.gov
PRESS RELEASES
WV FIRE SERVICE AND SAFETY ADVOCATES ASKED TO SUPPORT FIRE-SAFE CIGARETTES AND NOVELTY CIGARETTE LIGHTERS LEGISLATION
In the 2009 session of the West Virginia Legislature, there will be the usual variety of fire service issues being pursued and scrutinized. But two of these issues perhaps more than the others will deal directly with life safety—and both involve smoking and smoking materials.
Here in West Virginia, we are consistently at higher risk for fires and fire death—and we have one of the largest populations of smokers in the nation. This means it’s more important than ever to pursue life-saving legislation such as mandatory sales of reduced-ignition propensity cigarettes, and prohibiting sales of novelty cigarette lighters.
FIRE-SAFE CIGARETTES
Reduced-ignition propensity cigarettes” are a proven, effective way to help reduce the risk of fires started by cigarettes. Careless smoking is the leading cause of fire deaths in the U.S. and kills between 700-900 people a year. The use of cigarettes that have a reduced tendency to burn when left unattended can help prevent tens of thousands of fires each year.
According to the Fire-Safe Cigarette Coalition, the most common fire-safe technology used by cigarette manufacturers is to wrap cigarettes with two or three thin bands of less-porous paper that act as “speed bumps” to slow down a burning cigarette. If a fire-safe cigarette is left unattended, the burning tobacco will reach one of these speed bumps and self-extinguish.
Fire-safe cigarettes meet an established cigarette fire safety performance standard, based on ASTM 2187,Standard Test Method for Measuring the Ignition Strength of Cigarettes.
To date, 38 states have filed fire-safe cigarette legislation. This means that almost 82% of the country’s population will now be much safer from the potential of fires and fire deaths associated with smoking. Here in West Virginia, we are consistently at higher risk for fires and fire death—and we have one of the largest populations of smokers in the nation. This means it’s more important than ever to pursue life-saving legislation such as mandatory sales of reduced-ignition propensity cigarettes
In 2008, Senators Dan Foster, Jon Hunter and John Unger introduced Senate Bill 534 “The Reduced Cigarette Ignition Propensity Standard and Firefighter Protection Act “. However, despite strong support by all West Virginia’s fire service groups and many other advocates, the bill did not pass.
We are renewing efforts in the 2009 Legislative Session and ask for your support whenever possible in approaching your representatives in the Senate and the House of Delegates.
To learn more about fire-safe cigarettes, visit the Fire Safe Cigarette Coalition’s website at www.firesafecigarettes.org
To download a handout from the West Virginia Chapter of the Fire-Safe Cigarette Coalition, click here
NOVELTY CIGARETTE LIGHTERS
Novelty cigarette lighters are designed to look like toys, cartoon characters and other items that attract children’s attention. They have been sold across the nation for some time and have been associated with the September 2008 deaths of two toddlers in Arkansas who died after starting a fire while playing with a motorcycle-shaped lighter that featured a flame from the tailpipe.
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) states that more than 5,000 fires a year are caused by children under the age of 5, although as of yet no statistics are available for novelty lighters.
However, the many interesting and colorful shapes of novelty lighters present a very real threat to children’s safety. We know that young children are already at double the risk of dying in a residential fire, and the risk can increase with factors such as the presence of smoking materials and associated matches and lighters in the home.
Legislative initiatives to prohibit the sales of these lighters have been launched by members of the fire service across the U.S. and are gaining momentum. The states of Maine, Texas, California, Washington, Vermont, Iowa and Virginia have already pursued this Legislation either at the state or municipal levels. Where legislation has failed, renewed efforts are being planned for the upcoming legislative sessions.
Here in West Virginia we are pursuing introduction of legislation in the 2009 Session banning sales of all novelty cigarette lighters. We ask for your support whenever possible in contacting your representatives in the Senate and the House of Delegates.
PED/JAN 09
High-Risk Audiences
West Virginia Fire Safety Resource e-Guide Available Online
West Virginia consistently ranks among the top fifteen states in the nation for fire deaths. But many of these fires—and fatalities—don’t have to happen. To address this issue, the West Virginia State Fire Marshal's Office developed the West Virginia Fire Safety Resource e-Guide. This project was made possible by a Community-Based Initiatives (CBI) grant awarded by the West Virginia DHHR Office of Epidemiology and Health Promotion.
The e-Guide has been developed as a training tool to provide resources and guidelines to keep West Virginians safe and to create awareness around the need for fire safety and related emergency preparedness. The e-Guide addresses the specific needs of people with disabilities and older citizens.
In collaboration with the WV State Fire Marshal’s Office, the e-Guide is available on the Mountain State Centers for Independent Living’s Website www.mtstcil.org/eguideas part of their on-line skills trainings for people with disabilities. The website is also a valuable resource for families and caregivers.
Fire safety information ranging from basic everyday fire prevention to smoke alarm placement can be found on the website, along with downloadable home safety assessment checklists.The e-Guide has been developed to be maximally accessible for use by all people with disabilities by Nancy Massey of www.masseynet.com.
The e-Guide is dedicated to Joseph J. Szilvasi, one of nine people who died from smoke inhalation during the Emmons Jr. Apartment fire in Huntington, West Virginia on January 13, 2007.
Remember the Website for the National Fallen Firefighters program is http://www.everyonegoeshome.com/. Also, please visit their Resources page at http://www.everyonegoeshome.com/resources. This page contains many PowerPoint presentations and downloadable video clips available for your use.