Testing, testing...

NFPA Journal, Sep/Oct 2004 by Berkshire, Jennifer C

Copeland is looking forward to sharing the story of Paul and Paige's successful home escape with Alachua County residents, no matter what their age. But she insists that their tale has provided her with an important lesson, as well: fire prevention takes time.

"We work so hard, and we talk to so many kids. I was really starting to wonder: when would we see a save?" asks Copeland. "This has taught me that effective fire prevention work requires patience. You don't need a million dollars, just a dynamic team. And it may take two or three years until you see that first save."

When that happens, concludes Copeland, "it's not just shared work, it is shared glory."

Piano, Texas: FPW Fire Safety Messages for Young and Old

With its easy-to-understand messages and a starring role for Sparky the Firedog®, FPW is always a huge hit with children. Piano is no exception.

"The schools and the fire departments have a great relationship here," says Peggy Harrell, Piano's fire safety education coordinator for the past nine years. "Kids have long been the focus of our campaigns, especially during Fire Prevention Week."

This year, for example, Piano has planned an ambitious poster contest in which art teachers at each of the city's 65 schools will judge artwork created by students. The students, ranging from elementary pupils to high school students, are free to explore any style of art they like, from cubist to impressionist, as long as their posters reflect this year's FPW theme on the importance of installing and testing smoke alarms. Each school's winners will go on to compete at the city level, then the district level, and finally, against their peers from all across the state. The ultimate winner, selected by firefighters and the Texas State Fire Marshal's Office, will be featured in a calendar to be distributed throughout the state.

While FPW in this Texas city has long had a youthful cast, Piano fire safety advocates are reaching out to a more mature audience as well this year-the older adults that make up a growing percentage of the city's residents. Last year, this city of 240,000, located 20 miles north of Dallas, was rocked by two fire deaths in two months, both involving older adults who lived alone. The fires brought to a sudden end Piano's 22-year streak without a fire death.

"It was a real wakeup call," says Harrell. "I hate that it has taken two deaths, but this has forced us to implement effective campaigns to get folks aware of dangers. We don't want to shift the focus away from the kids, but during FPW this year, we also need to reach older people."

In the weeks leading up to FPW, a team of on-duty firefighters and public education specialists will install new smoke alarms and check existing alarms in city neighborhoods. The neighborhoods are selected, notes Harrell, based on the age of both the home and the homeowner.

"An elderly homeowner might not be able to maintain a smoke alarm as easily. This gets us in the houses. It's an opportunity to engage elderly residents in conversation," she notes. Best of all, says Harrell, "we leave the home knowina; that there's a working; smoke alarm."