Best Practices in Community Risk Reduction

Course Description

Prerequisites

There is a pre-course assignment due one week before class that should take about one hour to complete. To prepare for attending the course, please take time to perform six simple actions. Please bring documentation showing you accomplished the prerequisites and provide to your instructor on the first day of class.

1. Acknowledge that taking a strategic approach to fire prevention is not a new concept. Using a strategic approach to prevention has been mentioned in previous national fire protection plans dating back to 1913. In 2006, an ad hoc group of individuals and representatives from organizations with a history and shared mission focused on improving fire prevention efforts in the United States, initiated a project entitled Vision 20/20. These veteran fire service leaders recognized that although fire loss statistics in the U.S. had improved since the 1970s, progress had not equaled what was occurring in other industrialized nations.
2. Please visit the Vision 20/20 website located at http://strategicfire.org/.
   Once arriving at the site, please explore the About Us, Strategies, and Fire Prevention Advocacy sections. Several short videos are available for download. These videos are intended to assist in your understanding of community risk-reduction concepts, provide tools to help departments advocate for a balanced prevention program, and emphasize the importance of evaluating prevention programs. You will find the videos under the “CRR” and “Resources” tabs. In preparation for the course, take time to view one of the following videos: “Prevention Saves,” “Advocate for Fire Prevention,” or “Model Performance Measures.” If you have more time, please look over the entire website, as it will be used extensively during your upcoming National Fire Academy (NFA) course.
3. Sign up for Fire is Everyone’s Fight™. This national effort is led by the U.S. Fire Administration (USFA) to lower the number of home fires and home fire injuries in America. Along with USFA and partner organizations across the country, the fire community is speaking out with a unified message of fire prevention and safety to the public. The goal is to change how people think about fire and fire prevention, using social marketing strategies to address the broadest audience.
   Go to https://www.usfa.fema.gov/prevention/outreach/fief/. Scroll down a couple lines, and click on Fire is Everyone’s Fight. Continue scrolling down the page until you see the box on the right to register as a partner to use the Fire is Everyone’s Fight logo on materials you create. The Fire is Everyone’s Fight logo is trademarked, so we require that you complete a simple registration form to use it. Once you register, you’ll have access to various versions of the logo optimized for website, print and online materials.
   You are encouraged to download the Fire is Everyone’s Fight Guide at: https://www.usfa.fema.gov/downloads/fief/fief_outreach_guide.pdf. This will help you develop creative ways to engage your community.
4. Consider taking a short self-study NFA Online course titled “Community Safety Educators.” The course guides you through the basic steps of conducting community risk reduction. The course is accessible at http://apps.usfa.fema.gov/nfacourses/catalog/details/68.
5. Next, consider three risks that are currently a problem in your community. You will select one to focus on while attending the BPCRR course.
6. Please consider a risk-reduction program or activity that your department currently delivers. Be prepared to discuss it with your peers as part of the NFA experience.

Course Completion Requirements

Participants Must Provide

• a photo identification on the first day of class. See the Participant Handbook for approved forms of identification and additional guidelines.

Attendance Requirements

To meet NFA attendance requirements, participants must complete each training module and complete all required course assignments, activities, quizzes, and/or end of course exam. Exceptions may be discussed with lead instructor.

Recommended

Incident Command System (ICS)-100-level and ICS-200-level training. Preferred courses are Q0462 and Q0463, available through NFA Online.

Topics

• Describing Strategic Community Risk Reduction
• Assessing Community Risk
• Developing Intervention Strategies
• Resources

Suggested Audience

The recommended target audience for this course includes:

• Fire and emergency services personnel who help develop and deliver fire prevention and community risk-reduction programs.
• Fire and emergency services staff with an interest in advancing risk-reduction efforts in their community.
• Allied health and community service personnel who help develop and deliver risk-reduction programs.