E-update: October 3, 2006
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.
- Fire Corps Resource Guide Now Available on Fire Corps Website
- Fire Corps Releases New Promotional Videos, PSAs
- Fire Corps Coordinator Promotes Fire Safety on PBS KIDS Sprout
- CFSI Hosts Fire Corps Congressional Briefing
- Fire Corps National Advisory Committee Meets in Nashville
- Nominate Your Local Fire/EMS Department to Win New Michelin Tires
- Department Starts Fire Corps Blog
- Need Volunteers? Use 1-800-Fire-Line!
- Calendar of Events
Fire Corps Resource Guide Now Available on Fire Corps Website
The Fire Corps Resource Guide is now available to assist departments in implementing a local Fire Corps program. This thorough guide serves as a handbook departments can use regarding all aspects of running a Fire Corps program. Departments and/or local Fire Corps coordinators can use the Fire Corps Resource Guide as the first step in implementing a Fire Corps program in a community or as a resource to assist in managing an existing program.
In addition to detailing the steps of starting, managing, funding, marketing, and recruiting for a local Fire Corps program, the guide includes ideas of ways community members can help your department, links to valuable organizations and resources, sample documents provided by departments who already have a local Fire Corps program, and profiles of several successful existing Fire Corps programs.
The Fire Corps Resource Guide can be downloaded for free at www.firecorps.org.
Fire Corps Releases New Promotional Videos, PSAs
Fire Corps has released two promotional videos that departments and community members can use to share the many benefits of implementing and participating in a Fire Corps program. Two video public service announcements (PSAs) are also available to help departments promote a local Fire Corps program.
The promotional videos and PSAs can be downloaded for free. DVD copies of the videos will be available in October; stay tuned to the Fire Corps website for more information on ordering copies.
Achieve More with Fire Corps is an 11-minute video that reaches out to departments looking for assistance from community members through Fire Corps. Testimonials from key government officials, including Senator John McCain (R-AZ) and Governor Tim Kaine (VA), and from department staff and Fire Corps citizen advocates help to illustrate the success of several Fire Corps programs and make the case for establishing a Fire Corps program within a department. The video provides advice on starting and implementing your own program and exemplifies how and why Fire Corps programs are an invaluable resource to departments and communities. Achieve More with Fire Corps can be used to educate your own department staff on Fire Corps, as well as to garner internal support for your Fire Corps program.
Citizens Helping Fire and EMS is a 9-minute video that reaches out to community members to encourage and motivate them to become involved in a local Fire Corps program. The video shows potential Fire Corps members how departments utilize the time and talents of their local community members and how citizen advocates have personally benefited from their involvement in Fire Corps. Departments and Fire Corps members can show this video at community events such as a fair, festival, or community meeting, work with local television stations or cable providers to air the video on TV, share the video with other volunteer sources in the community (such as volunteer centers, schools, colleges, churches, civic organizations), or use it as part of a community-wide informational session about Fire Corps hosted by your department.
Fire Corps has also developed two 30-second video PSAs that you can use to promote your local Fire Corps program. Citizens Helping Fire and EMS Video Public Service Announcement and Achieve More with Fire Corps Public Service Announcement are completed video PSAs you can use to target potential citizen advocates within your community and garner support for your Fire Corps program through your local television and cable stations. Unlike traditional advertisements, many local stations and cable networks will donate the air time for showing PSAs, eliminating or significantly reducing the cost to your department.
The Fire Corps video PSAs can be customized to include your department’s name and contact information, allowing interested persons to contact you directly. Some local stations may be willing to donate the time it takes to do this, or you can contact Nicole Kopec, Production Executive for Triptych Creative Group, at 972-309-4354 or Nicole.Kopec@TriptychCreative.com to customize the PSAs for a nominal fee.
For more information or to download the videos and PSAs, visit www.firecorps.org/resources.
Fire Corps Coordinator Promotes Fire Safety on PBS KIDS Sprout
New fire safety series to launch during Fire Prevention Week
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Dayna Hilton and her dogs Sparkles and Spanner filmed fire safety tips for PBS KIDS Sprout. |
Fireman Sam is designed to communicate valuable lessons for children regarding fire safety and social responsibilities for the community. It will air weekend mornings on PBS KIDS Sprout at 8:30 a.m. ET. As part of the launch for the program, Sprout will air Hilton’s "Fire Safety Tips" segments four times a day during Fire Prevention Week (October 8-14) and continuing through the launch of Fireman Sam on October 14 and 15. The segments, filmed at the King of Prussia Volunteer Fire Company, will feature several important fire safety messages for preschool age children, and Hilton will also talk about fire equipment and the firefighting profession.
Hilton serves as the Public Fire and Life Safety Educator for Johnson County Rural Fire District #1 in Clarksville, Arkansas, and manages the department’s successful Fire Corps program. The efforts of Hilton, the rest of the department’s firefighters, and the Fire Corps team resulted in a 34% decrease in fire-related residential property losses in Johnson County between 2004 and 2005. Hilton was also the recipient of the National Volunteer Fire Council’s (NVFC) 2006 Fire Prevention Award. The award, sponsored by First Alert, is given annually to a volunteer firefighter who exemplifies the philosophy of fire prevention through their contributions to the field.
"I am excited to have the opportunity to share fire safety messages with so many children and their caregivers," said Hilton. "According to the U.S. Fire Administration, the very young (those under 5) have a much greater risk of death than other children. In fact, that age group accounts for 12% of fire related deaths – the highest proportion for any age group. Thanks to the good folks at the NVFC and everyone at PBS KIDS Sprout, who have worked tirelessly to have the most up-to-date fire safety messages in their programming, the project has the potential of helping change these unfortunate statistics."
The Fire Corps program is involved in many initiatives that promote fire safety. Fire Corps, which is administered on a national level by the NVFC, is a federally-funded, locally-driven effort under Citizen Corps that encourages community members to offer their time and talents to their local fire/EMS departments in a non-emergency capacity, enabling the department personnel to focus their efforts on providing emergency services. Fire Corps allows departments to provide additional services they may not otherwise be able to offer, including fire safety training in the community. Fire Corps and the NVFC are both members of the National Preparedness Month Coalition and supporters of Fire Prevention Week. Learn more about Fire Corps at www.firecorps.org and the NVFC at www.nvfc.org.
"It is very important to teach children fire safety at an early age, and I applaud PBS KIDS Sprout for their efforts," said Philip C. Stittleburg, Chairman of the NVFC. "Dayna is the perfect choice to deliver the Fire Safety Tips segments. Her dedication to fire safety, along with her enthusiasm and knowledge, make her ideal for this project."
PBS KIDS Sprout is the first and only 24-hour preschool destination available on digital cable and satellite TV, video on demand, and online for kids ages 2-5 and their parents and caregivers. It was created as a partnership among Comcast Corporation, HIT Entertainment, Public Broadcasting System (PBS), and Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit educational organization behind Sesame Street. The Sprout channel and website were launched in September 2005. It is distributed by Comcast, Cox Communications, DirecTV, Insight, and RCN. For more information, visit www.sproutletsgrow.com.
CFSI Hosts Fire Corps Congressional Briefing
The Congressional Fire Services Institute (CFSI), in cooperation with Fire Corps and Citizen Corps, hosted a briefing about the Fire Corps program on Monday, September 25. Attendees included congressional staff members as well as Representative John Boozman (R-AR). Sarah Lee, Director of Fire Corps, Lori Moon, Fire Corps Program Coordinator, and Karen Marsh, Director of Citizen Corps, conducted the briefing.
Lee and Moon began the briefing by showing one of the new Fire Corps promotional videos and then providing the audience with an introduction to Fire Corps. Dayna Hilton, the coordinator of the Johnson County RFD #1 Fire Corps in Clarksville, Arkansas, was invited to discuss the impact her department’s successful Fire Corps program has had on her community. "Fire Corps has truly made our fire safety program more successful," Hilton said. "We would not have been able to reach as many people with fire safety messages without Fire Corps."
Kari Wood, a member of the Johnson County RFD #1 Fire Corps, spoke about her personal experience with Fire Corps, including participating in an initiative where she reads to first and second graders to impart fire safety messages. "I know that I am making a difference," Wood said. She later noted, "Knowing that I am able to have that impact is amazing and incredible and Fire Corps made that possible."
Representative Boozman, who has actively supported Fire Corps and whose district includes Johnson County, praised the program and encouraged other congressional offices to support Fire Corps. "It’s such a great program and it is certainly something our office is committed to supporting," he said, adding, "We are so proud of our Clarksville group which has done such a great job."
Marsh concluded the briefing with an overview of how Fire Corps fits into the broader umbrella of Citizen Corps. She stressed the need for citizen preparedness and participation, as well as the importance of citizens, first responders, and government working together in community planning.
CFSI’s congressional briefings are informal roundtable discussions which allow congressional staff to learn more about the legislative priorities of the fire and emergency services and how their Senator or Representative can become more involved in public safety initiatives both on Capitol Hill and in their congressional districts. Past topics of discussion include the role of first responders in the Department of Homeland Security, proposed changes to the Public Safety Officers’ Benefits Program, the reorganization of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and wildland/urban interface fires.
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Left to right: Robert Hilton, Kari Wood, Dayna Hilton, Rep. John Boozman, Lori Moon, Sarah Lee, and Dalmatians Sparkles and Spanner at the Fire Corps congressional briefing |
Fire Corps National Advisory Committee Meets in Nashville
The Fire Corps National Advisory Committee met August 31 at the Nashville (TN) Fire Department Training Academy to review the present status of the program and outline future goals. The meeting included a comprehensive strategic planning session and the debut of a new Fire Corps promotional video.
The Nashville Fire Department hosted a reception on August 30 to kick off the meeting. Congressman Jim Cooper (D-TN) attended the event, which included a performance by Virgil Gibson, a former member of the renowned vocal group The Platters. During the reception, Fire Corps presented the President’s Call to Service awards to Buck Dozier and Bill Ketchum of Nashville’s Box 55 Association, a Fire Corps team that provides rehabilitation through the provision of food and drinks to Nashville Fire Department first responders during lengthy incidents. The national award, created by the President's Council on Service and Civic Participation, recognizes individuals who have volunteered more than 4,000 hours in their lifetime. The Committee also presented Tim O’Dowd with an award to honor his contribution to Fire Corps. Representing the United States Fire Administration, O’Dowd is the former grant administrator for the Fire Corps program.
Sarah Lee, Director of Fire Corps, began the August 31 meeting with an update on Fire Corps activities, followed by a viewing of one of two new Fire Corps promotional videos. The videos, which will be available through the Fire Corps national office later this month, will serve as informational tools for fire/EMS departments and citizens to learn about the benefits of Fire Corps and how to become involved in this important program. Committee members then participated in a comprehensive strategic planning session for the Fire Corps program.
The National Advisory Committee meets twice a year and provides fire service input to Fire Corps on a national level. The Committee gives Fire Corps strategic direction and important feedback from the field. Members of the National Advisory Committee are: Congressional Fire Services Institute (CFSI), Fire Department Safety Officers Association (FDSOA), International Association of Arson Investigators (IAAI), International Association of Black Professional Fire Fighters (IABPFF), International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC), International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF), International Fire Service Training Association (IFSTA), International Society of Fire Service Instructors (ISFSI), National Association of Hispanic Firefighters (NAHF), National Association of State Fire Marshals (NASFM), National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC), North American Fire Training Directors (NAFTD), Volunteers In Police Service (VIPS), and Women in the Fire Service (WFSI).
Nominate Your Local Fire/EMS Department to Win New Michelin Tires
Michelin launched the Driving America’s Safety program as part of the tire company’s continued commitment to social and corporate responsibility. In addition to supplying drivers with road safety tips, the program provides people the opportunity to thank local firefighters and EMS personnel by nominating them to receive a donation of a full set of new tires for an emergency services vehicle – from ambulances and fire engines to small rescue trucks and sport utility vehicles.
Fire departments and EMS squads across the country continually face financial restraints and maintenance issues. Michelin’s Driving America’s Safety program enables citizens to play a role in ensuring the vehicles for their community’s first responders are outfitted in the safest and most reliable tires. Visit the Michelin website at www.michelinman.com to obtain information on how to nominate a local firefighter or EMT to be chosen as one of 25 who will receive a new set of Michelin tires for their department.
"For many of us, general safety measures like police and fire departments, as well as good tires and seat belts, provide us with peace of mind," said Parmeet Grover, Michelin brand director, Michelin Americas Small Tires. "We’re encouraging drivers to take a few extra minutes to think about their safety on the roads and at home. Everyone can take simple steps, including supporting the local heroes who protect their families – firefighters and EMTs."
Communities can nominate their local heroes by developing a minimum 300-word essay describing why a local firefighter or EMT should receive one set of Michelin tires for an emergency response vehicle. Nominations will be evaluated on a 100-point scale using selected criteria, including:
- Financial need of the EMS squad or fire department
- Compelling stories on the impact the firefighter or EMT has on the community
- Type of apparatus the department uses
Completed nominations can be sent to Michelin via email at michelinman@cohnwolfe.com or via the U.S. Postal Service:
Michelin’s Driving America’s Safety Program
c/o Cohn & Wolfe
292 Madison Avenue, 8th Floor
New York, N.Y. 10017
All nominations must be postmarked by Oct. 31, 2006, and received by Nov. 10, 2006. Additional information can be found at www.michelinman.com.
Department Starts Fire Corps Blog
Johnson County Rural Fire District #1 has created a local Fire Corps weblog, or blog, to keep its Fire Corps members up-to-date on local and national Fire Corps news. A blog is a frequently updated online journal that can be accessed by the general public. Keeping a Fire Corps blog is a great way to utilize new technology to keep local Fire Corps members informed while also creating awareness about your Fire Corps program among other visitors to your blog. The Johnson County RFD #1 Fire Corps is comprised mainly of students from the University of the Ozark’s Phi Beta Lambda (Future Business Leaders of America) chapter. The department uses the blog to streamline Fire Corps information into one place that is easily accessible by members. To view the Johnson County RFD #1 Fire Corps blog, visit http://firecorps.blogspot.com.
Need Volunteers? Use 1-800-Fire-Line!
1-800-FIRE-LINE is a national recruitment campaign for individuals interested in helping fire and EMS departments in either operational or non-operational roles. Whether a citizen is interested in volunteering as an emergency responder or helping a department in a non-emergency capacity such as through a Fire Corps program, 1-800-FIRE-LINE offers one toll-free number that citizens can call to learn about available opportunities.
In participating states, calls to 1-800-FIRE-LINE are usually answered by a designated state-level organization serving the fire and emergency services, such as a state fire chiefs association or state firefighters association. Departments are then notified when a citizen from a particular community calls to find out about local opportunities. Calls originating in non-participating states are routed to the national Fire Corps office.
1-800-FIRE-LINE is administered by the NVFC through Fire Corps. Tips and suggestions for promoting 1-800-FIRE-LINE in your state can be found here.
Calendar of Events
California Fire Chiefs Association Annual Conference
October 1-4, 2006
Riverside, CA
National Fire Prevention Week
October 8-14, 2006
Visit the NFPA web site for tools and resources for this year's campaign!
Citizen Corps Region VIII Conference
October 26, 2006
Salt Lake City, UT
Citizen Corps Region IV Conference
November 1, 2006
Orlando, FL
Phi Beta Lambda (PBL) - National Fall Leadership Conference
November 4, 2006
Denver, CO
PARADE Meeting
May 18, 2007
National Fire Academy
Emmitsburg, MD
