October 22, 2007

Welcome to the Fire Corps E-Update. Fire Corps is a locally-driven Citizen Corps program that allows community members to offer their time and talents to their local fire and EMS departments in non-operational roles. Fire Corps serves as a gateway to information for and about fire and EMS department programs and meets a citizen's desire to serve as well as a department's need for support.

In this issue:

1. October is Crime Prevention Month
2. Stay Safe on Halloween
3. Update Your Fire Corps Profile
4. Celebrate Diversity During Diversity Awareness Month
5. Department Profile: Pulaski County Youth Firesetter Taskforce, Little Rock, AR
6. Calendar of Events

The National Crime Prevention Council designated October as Crime Prevention Month to recognize and celebrate the practice of crime prevention, while promoting awareness of important issues such as volunteerism and creating safer, more caring communities. According to the United States Fire Administration, an estimated 31,000 intentionally set structure fires occurred in 2006, resulting in 305 civilian deaths and $755 million in property loss. Below are a few activities Fire Corps teams can undertake to help protect our nation’s firefighters and emergency medical personnel who put their lives on the line to respond to these unfortunate fire-related crimes.

Reach out to our nation’s youth by utilizing your Fire Corps volunteers to establish a Juvenile Firesetter Intervention Program. According to the Burn Institute, "Juvenile firesetting has been identified as the fastest growing fire threat in the United States." A Juvenile Firesetter Intervention Program will enable your Fire Corps members to identify these at-risk children and intervene with proper assessment and counseling to prevent them from committing arson.

Work with your local Neighborhood Watch teams to detect and report suspicious activities which may result in a fire. If there is not a Neighborhood Watch program in your area, consider utilizing your Fire Corps members to establish your own Neighborhood Watch program in your community. Visit www.usaonwatch.org to find local Neighborhood Watch groups or for information on starting your own Neighborhood Watch program.

Utilize the All-Ways Fire Safe at Home Fire Safety Module to teach members in your community the importance of fire prevention in the home. Based on the Home Safety Councils' All-Ways Fire Safe at Home program, this module is comprised of four fire safety education programs that Fire Corps teams can use to promote fire and life safety to community members in different stages of life, from preschool to older adult. Continuing to relay important fire safety messages to individuals of all ages may discourage potential arson activities. The Fire Safety Module is available to all registered Fire Corps programs and can be ordered free-of-charge from the Fire Corps national office by emailing info@firecorps.org.

For more information on Crime Prevention Month, visit www.ncpc.org/about/crime-prevention-month.

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Fire Corps would like to encourage all Fire Corps teams across the nation to educate their communities about important Halloween safety tips so all children, adults, pets, and properties are protected on October 31. Below are various Halloween safety tips and suggestions provided by fire and emergency response organizations across the nation. Use your Fire Corps volunteers to communicate this information to residents in your area to ensure a safe and happy Halloween.

NFPA’s Sparky the Fire Dog provides Halloween safety tips and safety games for children. Kids can send a Halloween Safety E-Card to their friends and families. The site also provides additional safety information and tools parents can use to help their children make positive choices about personal safety and help them lead safer lives.

The Los Angeles Fire Department has compiled a list of Halloween safety suggestions including choosing a safe costume, safe party guidelines, fun alternatives to trick-or-treating, fire-safe decorating tips, and more.

The American Red Cross offers various ideas on how to make this Halloween a "fright-free" event. Here you will find information on pet safety, costume concerns, driving precautions, and more.

The Virginia Department of Fire Programs (VDFP) reminds us that while this may be the time of the year for ghosts, goblins, and witches, it is not the time to let your guard down when it comes to being fire safe. Utilize the VDFP’s Halloween safety tips provided in this press release.

The National Crime Prevention Council provides safety tips, games, and advice for Halloween this season. Here you will find information on how to keep your home safe for visitors, costume safety suggestions, neighborhood safety, Halloween pointers for parents, and more.

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Has your Fire Corps program grown? Have you added volunteer opportunities, activities, or developed new Fire Corps materials that could benefit other departments? If so, please go to www.firecorps.org to update your department profile. Remember, potential volunteers visit the Fire Corps web site to look for opportunities in their area, departments look to see what others are doing, and the Fire Corps national office uses this information to develop success stories and gather statistics for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Citizen Corps, and the White House. Update your program information today.

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In the event of a disaster, individuals must pull together, combine resources, and assist one another to ensure safety and security for all. Because we live in such a diverse society, communication barriers or cultural variations may arise which hinder this process. October has been recognized as Diversity Awareness Month and Fire Corps teams can use this time to reach out to your community to alleviate potential problems that may arise during and following a crisis.

The Fire Corps National Preparedness Month Resource Center contains tools and resources you can use, including, but not limited to, multi-cultural preparedness tips and information for people with disabilities or other special needs. Fire Corps members can help save lives and property by communicating preparedness and safety information to all members in a community.

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According to the Burn Institute, "More than 300 people are killed and nearly one-billion dollars in property is destroyed by fires set by children. Over three percent of the victims are the children themselves." Recognizing these alarming statistics, the Arkansas Children's Hospital (ACH) in Little Rock teamed up with firefighters, law enforcement officials, and mental health and social services volunteers throughout the state to create the Pulaski County Youth Firesetter Taskforce (PCYFT).

A registered Fire Corps program since 2006, the Taskforce consists of eight members who commit endless hours year-round to reach out to youth who show tendencies for fire play. After identifying these individuals, the Taskforce provides education and/or referrals to mental health care officials with a follow-up in fire safety education for both the child and his or her family. Taskforce members meet once a month to discuss the status of all firesetters in the Pulaski County Area and to develop the best possible way to effectively educate children through the program. Education is conducted through various mediums, such as the ACH’s Fire Safety House.

The PCYFT has been working on various projects throughout the year. Partnering with the Burn Center, various schools, and Pulaski County fire departments, the Taskforce recently spearheaded a study to compare the effectiveness of voice-recorded smoke alarms to that of the conventional beeping alarms. Other studies have shown that children do not respond adequately to standard beeping smoke alarms. Voice-recorded smoke alarms operate like custom smoke alarms; however, instead of beeping, the parent’s voice warns the children of danger.

Another accomplishment of the Taskforce is the development of a Youth Firesetter Quick Reference Card. The card is a tool any fire department can use if they encounter a child who has been playing with fire. A firefighter can grab this card out of any apparatus on the fireground to find all the information they need to refer the child to the PCYFT for immediate help. Originally designed for the Pulaski County area, the Quick Reference Card has now been given to all Pulaski County fire departments as well as 67 other departments throughout Arkansas. A poster presentation on this card will be presented at the American Burn Association’s mid-year meeting in November.

In addition to the voice-recorded smoke alarm study and Quick Reference Card, the Taskforce has been successful in getting the sale of novelty lighters banned in the North Little Rock area. Recently two boys, only 15 months and two years old, died in Russellville, a town about an hour northwest of Little Rock. It was reported that the young boys set fire to their apartment while playing with a motorcycle-shaped lighter – a novelty lighter. In an interview to the Arkansas News Bureau, Taskforce member and North Little Rock Fire Marshall Mark Shoemaker said fear of tragedies like the deadly Russellville fire are what prompted him to campaign to get the North Little Rock City Council to ban the novelty lighters. The Taskforce is currently working to expand the injunction throughout the entire county and all of Little Rock.

Nathan Travis, a Little Rock Firefighter and Youth Firesetter Intervention and Burn Prevention Coordinator for the Burn Center at ACH, commented on how much support the Taskforce has received since its inception. "All of our funding and support for this Taskforce has come from the Burn Center and would not be possible without their continued help. They provide us with all the fire safety material, smoke alarms, and meeting space to get the job done."

For more information on the Pulaski County Youth Firesetter Taskforce, please contact Nathan Travis at travisnc@archildrens.org.

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Below is a list of events, conferences, conventions, and shows that Fire Corps staff will be attending, as well as nationally recognized dates which Fire Corps would like to acknowledge.

Crime Prevention Month
October

Diversity Awareness Month
October

FireRescue Conference & Expo
November 7-10
Las Vegas, NV

Campus Fire Forum
November 14-16
Austin, TX

Fire Corps National Advisory Committee Meeting
December 7
Washington, DC

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