Public fire and life safety doesn’t seem macho enough for most of us traditional firefighters; however, I was at a state conference recently where an award was given to a young lady with fewer than 5 years in the fire service. She received the award because she was in charge of a unit that had 98 documented saves from fire. Her unit conducted door-to-door home safety checks that included smoke alarm installations.
Those in the fire service have always heard about the three Es in fire prevention: Education, Engineering and Enforcement. Those not in the fire service have at some point been engaged in one of the Es, many times without realizing it. As such, the Es are like politics: They impact each of us, and we need to know and understand them.
So, where do you fit in and how will you engage? What do you invest in fire and life safety education? Do you make every effort to be part of each E? Better yet, do you live every E and make sure your members do? We must ask the tough questions, and we must find ways to answer yes! Then, we need to be engaged with our stakeholders and share the Es with them. Education and information are key to helping others understand who we are as the fire service and the importance of the services we provide.
I was blessed to serve 13 years as the fire chief of the Pleasant View, TN, Volunteer Fire Department. During that time, not only did I begin to live in a home with fire sprinklers, but by the time I left as fire chief, all our command staff lived in homes with fire sprinklers and all our fire stations were retrofitted as well. We worked hard to overcome the internal and external politics that prevented us from living all the Es. Those examples did not just happen; it took a focused commitment and everyone’s dedication to work together with all the stakeholders.
One major hurdle we have to overcome in this country is the adoption of laws that prevent state and local government from including fire sprinklers in one- and two-family dwellings. Many states have enacted legislation banning fire sprinklers from being adopted at the local level, with other states creating additional hurdles. If one of these states is yours, get involved.
The E here is Enough! When will the fire service say enough is enough? We cannot let one special interest group and uninformed legislators cherry-pick the code. We can’t assume that our policymakers know what we do. We must make it our mission to share the information, facts and statistics with them so that they can make the best decisions. Further, we must use a transparent process that allows for valid and reasonable debate for the adoption of the latest code. We must engage in the process and let our collective voice be heard. We must be engaged on behalf of the citizens we serve and for firefighter safety.
Live the 3 Es. Make sure you are always educating, using engineering solutions and enforcing. Do all you can to truly prevent the fire and minimize its negative impact on quality of life. But also make sure that you are ready yourself, and have all the bases covered. Have inter-connected smoke alarms, install fire sprinklers, and lead the fire department to deploy in a manner that is proactive.
Fire and life safety education starts at home, extends to family and friends, and leads to proactive service in the community. Challenge yourself today to engage in the process, make sure you have a fire safety education plan for your department and community, and get to work. If you need help, there are tons of available resources, and I encourage you to be involved in the respective organizations that have created them. The best news of all is that the facts are gathered and ready for you to share with the appropriate policymakers. Help your elected officials make decisions that create a safer community and environment for citizens and firefighters alike.
There are no excuses. It’s time to engage the Es and ensure that you are championing the cause that saves lives.
Sidebar: Fire & Life Safety Resources
Home Fire Sprinkler Coalition: www.homefiresprinkler.org
National Fire Sprinkler Association: www.nfsa.org
NFPA: www.nfpa.org
U.S. Fire Administration: www.usfa.fema.gov/
Common Voices: www.fireadvocates.org
Vision 20/20: strategicfire.org/
IRC Fire Sprinkler Coalition: www.ircfiresprinkler.org
International Code Council: www.iccsafe.org
