By Marcy Ost
Fire Prevention Week 2024 is almost here, running from October 6-12, and this year’s theme is “Smoke Alarms: Make Them Work for You!” The fire service plays a crucial role in guiding communities through effective fire safety practices. Here’s a guide to help you roll out impactful programming during Fire Prevention Week.
Key Actions to Promote
- Regular Testing and Maintenance: Encourage residents to test their smoke alarms monthly and replace batteries at least once a year. Emphasize the importance of replacing alarms every ten years to ensure they remain effective.
- Creating a Fire Safety Plan: Advocate for the development of home fire escape plans. Make sure every family knows two ways out of every room and has a designated meeting place outside.
Resources to Support Your Efforts
Leverage the following resources to enhance your Fire Prevention Week programming:
- Lunch & Learn with NFPA: Engage your community with educational sessions featuring insights from NFPA representatives. These resources can be accessed here.
- Kitchen Table Videos: We’ve started recording our kitchen table conversations. The most recent one was with a member of the Mustang, OK fire department, who is running several interesting CRR initiatives, including smoke alarm programs. Click here.
- NFPA Fire Prevention Week 2024 Resources: The NFPA offers a wide array of tools, including webinars, pictographs, smoke alarm activities, and an Educator Toolkit with theme art and lesson plans. Explore these resources here.
- USFA Smoke Alarm Resources: The U.S. Fire Administration provides comprehensive information on smoke alarms, including FAQs, pictographs, and handouts. Visit their site here to access these materials.
Virtual Education and Connection Opportunities
There’s a new half-hour virtual training on the Fire Hero Learning Network called “Preventing Carbon Monoxide Poisoning in the Fire and Rescue Services”.
September 20 – ND Kitchen Table – This month, we’ll be catching up with what CRR divisions in ND are working on.
October 3 – Lunch & Learn – Haunted Houses – register here
October 23 – NFPA Kitchen Table – Explore a youth emergency teen program in Florida that merges the fire service, emergency management and a local 4-H club.
Chemical exposure risks associated with lithium-ion batteries: New research and learning opportunities
Chemical exposure is a health risk that first responder’s face when responding to incidents involving electric vehicles or other large energy storage systems. Lithium-ion batteries contain toxic chemicals and heavy metals that may harm first responders, the public and the environment when these batteries are damaged or improperly handled.
The following are a few upcoming research projects and learning opportunities that provide the latest science on the evolving environmental and health risks associated with lithium-ion batteries:
(1) Texas A&M Engineering Extension Service (TEEX) held its TEEX Electric Vehicle / Energy Storage Systems Summit in October 2023. The report on this Summit identified chemical exposure as a risk of lithium-ion batteries that have been compromised in some way. It identified the need for more research in this area to determine risks to first responders’ safety. TEEX has been conducting several lines of effort to address the needs and unresolved issues identified at the Summit. TEEX is continually updating the following page with its latest research results and educational opportunities: Current Practices: Electric Vehicle and Energy Storage Systems.
(2) The Fire Safety Research Institute (FSRI), part of UL Research Institutes, has just announced the launch of a new project, Emerging Issues Related to Personal Protective Equipment. This project addresses the evolving challenges that firefighters face, particularly in relation to chemical and thermal hazards. The project will expose firefighter turnout gear to electric vehicle (EV) fires and characterize the resulting chemical contamination. It will do the same testing for traditional fuel-based vehicle fires. One of the research goals will be to evaluate how well personal protective equipment performs under fireground conditions and against emerging hazards like lithium-ion batteries.
(3) The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) will hold a webinar on Thursday, Sept. 12 at 10 a.m. EDT, Environmental Impact of Lithium-Ion Battery Incidents Compared to Other Types of Fires. In addition to the acute chemical exposure risks to responders and the public, there are also longer-term risks. These toxic chemicals can travel through the air and be deposited in distant places. This webinar will present the latest research on the environmental impact of lithium-ion battery fires on air, soil, and water compared to other common fires. Register for this webinar on Zoom.
In the News
FEMA releases National Resilience Guidance and informational webinar series
Gwinner fire department partners with red cross to install smoke alarms
Williston fire department awarded international accreditation
Jamestown Rural Fire Department awarded 198k grant for equipment
Grand Forks Fire Department using drones
Jamestown Fire Department gets new rescue truck
ND Soybean Council to showcase firefighting soyfoam
Fire Prevention week to focus on educating Mandan kids