Editorial: Promoting Ourselves And Our Mission Each And Every Day

Within 30 days of writing this editorial, Fire Prevention Week was celebrated across the country with many special events such as a kitchen fire demonstration in Port Jefferson, NY, or a "Fire & Safety" weekend on Cape Cod. Fire Prevention Week coincides with the famous Chicago Fire in 1871, reportedly started when Mrs. O'Leary's cow knocked over a lamp. Now, researchers have questioned that explanation and are discussing another possibility in how the famous fire began.

In my own department, firefighters visited schools and gave demonstrations to wide-eyed children on their annual visit to the firehouse. This year, thanks to an idea we picked up from Michigan that you will read about in an upcoming issue, we expanded our efforts to educate our community by making posters that state "Yield the right of way to emergency vehicles," "Change your clock, change your battery, " and "Adopt a hydrant and keep it free of snow." We've heard comments on the various job descriptions of fire departments across the country: an EMS department first, fire safety education department second and fire suppression agency third. Whatever your service delivery, there is no doubt that every day should be fire prevention/fire safety education day. Every contact with members of your community should be used to promote a positive image. It takes a long time to build up a positive image but no time at all to tear it down when something negative happens.

I recently responded to an attic fire that was controlled quickly but caused a substantial loss to the structure. The occupant told me that when he first called us, his fire alarm was going off but there was no fire. The dispatcher replied that we were coming to check anyway. Within minutes, he called back and yelled, "Send the engines there really is a fire. And hurry!" The following night, we received a fire alarm for a private dwelling a block away from the attic fire. That occupant told arriving police she had burned some food in the oven. When I arrived and told the woman that I wanted to verify the condition, she responded, "Don't you take my word?" I told her of my experience the previous night, when the caller at first said there was no fire but now he needs a new roof. The man of the house then remarked, "That's a tough sell." But I replied, "It's your house." That's when the woman said to me, "Come on in. I'm just a lousy cook!"

The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) recently came out with data revealing that the average person believes he or she has plenty of time to escape from a building when a smoke detector is activated. Many of them responded that they thought they had upwards of 10 minutes to get out, and many admitted that they usually disregard the detector, thinking that it's only a false alarm. This goes to show that we still have a long way to go in educating the public. Last year, civilian fire deaths actually increased. Maybe this lack of education or understanding go hand in hand.