Chapter 11: Working in the community Flashcards
Community Emergency Response Team (CERT)
A fire department training program to help citizens understand their responsibilities in preparing for disaster and increase their ability to safely help themselves, their families, and their neighbors in the first 72 hours of a catastrophe.
Demographics
The characteristics of human populations and population segments, especially when used to identify consumer markets; generally includes age, race, sex, income, education, and family status.
Risk Watch
A comprehensive NFPA school-based program focused on injury prevention.
Social media
Forms of electronic outlets through which users create online communities to share information, ideas, personal messages, and other content.
What are the most decentralized and community based functions of local government?
Schools and the fire department.
What are some of the cultural variations present in US communities?
language, culture, religion, traditions, and beliefs.
How are emergency services and public education effected by diversity in the community?
Safety info shared through public education, and emergency operations must be fine tuned to meet the needs of the community. Info shared should be applicable to and delivered in such a manner the community can understand.
Ways the fire service reduces risk in the community.
Emergency response, fire safety education, fire codes, and code enforcement. The primary goal is to save lives and property from more than just fires.
Two levels of needs for a problem in the community.
Systemic and individual.
How are systemic needs addressed?
Through the development of programs to eliminate or reduce risk.
How are individual needs addressed?
The fire officer must recognize the individual needs with his contact in the community. Often systems are already in place and once a need is recognized the fire officer must connect the citizen in need with the community resource. The fire officer must be proactive about learning which community programs are available.
Public fire safety programs include
- Learn not to burn
- Risk Watch
- Stop, Drop, and Roll
- Getting to Know Fire
- Change your clock-change your battery
- Fire safety for babysitters
- Fire safety for seniors
- Wildland fire prevention programs
What is the primary goal of a public safety education program?
Prevent injury, death or loss due to fire or other types of incidents.
Four objectives of public safety education programs.
- Educate target audiences in specific subjects so as to change their behavior.
- Instruct target audiences on how to perform specific tasks, such as Stop, Drop, and Roll, or operating fire extinguishers.
- Inform large groups of people about fire safety issues.
- Distribute information on timely subjects to target audiences.
History of fire prevention week.
On the 40th anniversary of the Great Chicago Fire, the fire Marshals Association decided the date of its occurrence should be observed in a way that would keep the public informed of fire safety. The fire began on October 8, 1871, but continued and did most of its damage on October 9, 1871. Every year since 1922, National Fire Prevention week is observed on the Sunday-Saturday period in which October 8th falls.
