by Michael O'Brian on November 28, 2011
Three key elements for invigorating public education programs
This is a special post from Bobby Clark
Fire prevention is the front line offensive assault unit of firefighting. The officers who fill these ranks are proactive, stubborn, righteous and creative; they face almost hopeless odds, but they persevere. They must maintain vigilant awareness in an environment that would overwhelm the average person. That is what makes them and this profession unique. Unfortunately, complacency has infested certain areas of fire prevention, specifically public education.
Public education, it seems, has morphed from a vibrant, proactive concept into a seldom-thought-about item, something that’s included in the department’s mission statement, but merely to check a box. But here’s the thing: Public education is the most important program a department can invest in. The mission of every department is life safety and property conservation, and the only way to truly accomplish that is through a regular, creative, robust public education program.
Don’t get me wrong; time is, as we all know, our [click to continue…]
by Michael O'Brian on October 3, 2010
Smoke Alarms A Sound You Can Live with October 3-9 2010
This year’s campaign is designed to educate people about the importance of smoke alarms and encourages everyone to take the steps necessary to update and maintain their home smoke alarm protection. As many of us know Fire Prevention week was started after many large fires which devastated the United States such as the Great Chicago Fire or the Great Thumb Forest Fire.
Fire Prevention Week is a great way for the fire prevention community to bring a heightened awareness to the public we serve. Many of you had open houses which showcase the department’s fire prevention efforts or have participated with corporate partners at Lowes or Home Depot.
In fact it [click to continue…]
by Michael O'Brian on August 6, 2009
Its not Smokey the Bear, but Smokey Bear
This Sunday, America’s Icon for forrest fire prevention will turn 65. The bear known as Smokey will celebrate his birthday with a renewed since of education and purpose as forrest fires still burn across this great nation. As the inspector what can we learn from this “old-timer” on building safety?
Why a Bear?
In 1950 a fire was spotted in the [click to continue…]
by Michael O'Brian on October 6, 2008
Was it the Cow?
In 1871 a great fire consumed the City of Chicago and served as a catalyst for fire prevention week. The bulk of the damage was consumed by the fire on October 9, 1871 and was one of three major fires (Peshtigo Fire and the Great Thumb Fire) that week. The story is typically told about Mrs. O’Leary’s cow who tipped over a lantern and caused the start of the fire. Recently historians have worked to debunk the ethics of Mrs. O’Lery’s milking cows and may lead to careless smoking near the barn or a fiery meteorite which started the Peshtigo fire as well.
Details of the Chicago Fire included
- 250 Died
- 100,000 were left homeless
- 2,000 acres burned
- 17,400 structures were destroyed by fire
Regardless of how the fire started, the event triggered many events that have focus on public education on fires. 40 years after that fiery day, the International Fire Marshal’s Association (Approximately 1910) pushed to have the week set aside as fire prevention day. This included [click to continue…]
by Michael O'Brian on September 17, 2008
A special post from Tom Kiurski
If you work for a fire department that has an existing open house that is held in conjunction with Fire 
Prevention Week (the most common time to have the Open House, although you can have one at any time), then consider yourself lucky. Much of the groundwork necessary to undertake this monumental task has already been laid. Your role is to take part in the Open House by helping out before the event, working the event itself and helping out afterwards. Let’s take a look at the stops involved, to see if you can start your event or make it better.
You probably wouldn’t wake up one morning and head out the door on a vacation without some advance planning. Where to go, reservations and packing are all essential parts of the process. The Open House is no different…without planning, your chances of having a successful, smooth-running event are quite slim. Start well in advance, preferably a full year ahead of time. Get the fire department administration and the firefighters to help out. If your firefighters are anywhere near as crafty as ours are, then you will have some great talent to help you out. Break down the work into smaller parts, such as publicity, props and partnerships.
The publicity group needs to be involved in scheduling the event and doing any advertising to get crowds to attend your event. Flyers are a [click to continue…]
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