Life Safety Education is Key to Reducing First Response Fatalities

How critical is educating the public on safety in keeping firefighters and first responders safe in case of emergency? As critical as any other tool, according to one industry expert.

In an opinion piece on the Fire Rescue website, life safety educator Bill Delaney says education is a critical factor to keeping firefighters and first responders safe on the job. “Public education must receive more resources and be championed as a critical fire and life safety program,” Delaney says.

“Let me be blunt,” Delaney adds. “If we educate folks to not start fires, and thus reduce the number of fire incidents, we will not be sending firefighters to fires where they can become hurt or, worse, killed. Every time a fire engine or ambulance goes out its doors on an emergency response is an opportunity, in my view anyway, for someone to not go home.”

Delaney also says public education, for the vast majority of the fire service, does not receive appropriate resources and is not championed as a critical program. “There are very few fire chiefs across the country right at this very moment who can claim otherwise. They may talk the talk, but when it's the time to walk the walk they do not — period,” he adds.

Instead, these departments should look to having proactive public education staffing and programs to prevent fires and other emergencies. Education, he says, must be an equal partner to response and viewed as such by those in charge.

To read the full article, click here: http://www.firerescue1.com/prevention/articles/350632/