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
- Coordinating 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
PRESS RELEASES
College Fire Safety SEPT 2007
E-Guide Safety Resource for Disabilities SEPT 2007
Holiday Fire Safety DEC 2007
Fireworks Safety JUNE 2008
Fireworks Safety JUNE 2007
Recall Roundup Kick-off 2003
Fires at a Glance FY 2008
Fires at a Glance FY 2007
Smoke Detectors at a Glance FY 2008
Smoke Detectors at a Glance FY 2007
Fire Prevention Week 2008
Fire Prevention Week 2007
Remember Your Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Detectors! FEB 2007
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/eguide as 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.