Fire Chief

Since the first of the year, Ohio has suffered several serious fires that have raised media attention. In just this state, there have been 14 to 16 fire fatalities, depending on the coroners’ final determinations. Two of the fires, which appear to be arsons, have claimed 11 of those lives.

In a 20 mile radius from my city, there have been fire fatalities in Mason, Forest Park and St. Bernard, and two more people died in a motor-vehicle crash in Fairfield Township, either from the impact or from the resulting fire. There have been at least three other major fires that displaced more than 30 people, all in residential occupancies and caused by space heaters or heating systems, cigarettes or smoking materials, kitchen fires, or candles. I don’t know if these occupancies had smoke detectors, but at least one family of 11 attributes their escape to a working smoke detector that alerted them to leave.

In the last few weeks, the USFA, the NFPA and the IAFC all have disseminated media releases on accidental fire causes. But are you prepared to get your fire safety message across when talking to the media, especially after a major fire? If not, it is as easy to prepare as going to the Web sites of these and other outstanding fire service organizations to look up statistics, view press release ideas or find additional contact information.

If all else fails, there are two quick fallbacks. The first is to talk about working smoke alarms. If the building had them, highlight their success story and talk about how the smoke alarms alerted family members who, with an exit plan, had enough time to escape the building. If there were no working smoke alarms present, tell how since their introduction more than 30 years ago these devices have helped lower the number of fire fatalities in the United States by 70%.

The second fallback is to talk about sprinkler systems. If the fire is in a newer home or commercial occupancy, talk about how a sprinkler system would have or did help extinguish the fire. Sprinklers, especially in residential use, could greatly reduce the remaining number of fire deaths in the United States and add to firefighter safety.

The Institution of Fire Engineers–USA Branch both in a preliminary Web cast in February and at a national meeting in late March will discuss the next steps in fire prevention and public education. “Vision 2020” is the brain child of my good friend and fellow FIRE CHIEF author, Ozzie Mirkhah. This conference will help set the benchmarks to follow in fire prevention for the next 15 years. Be a part of this exciting time that will be as close as your computer.