Title: Fire Prevention and Life Safety
Name:Organization’s name:
Introduction
Fire departments use fire prevention educational programs.Programs have the same goals though they use different approaches.Successful programs follow a set of steps.
The Five-Step Program
Developed by the U.S Fire AdministrationUsed in education programs for planning fire prevention and life safety.Guides planners through the stages of fire safety program.It is a continuous process program.
Five-step process cycle
Figure 1: courtesy of U.S. Fire Administration
Step One: Identification.
Review of fire statistics to identify fire problems most commonly experienced.Records reviewed: local, national, U.S. Fire AdministrationIdentification of main high-risk tenancies or individuals.Accurate identification of fire risks through data provided by risk analysis.
Identification of Data to be studied
Using different methods of data collection to get information related to fire problem.Factors associated with fire problem related information such as Leading causes of fire risksIndividuals affected by the riskLocation of fire occurrence
Development of a Risk Profile and a Problem Statement
Risk profile overviews data collected concerning the state or community.Data represented in visual forms such as graphs, pie charts etc.A problem statement offers an overview of the risk based on facts.
Prioritize Issues
Making objective decisions on fire-related problem to address.Local need governs the decision to be taken.Leads to the next step of selection of fire risk that needs most attention.
Step Two: Selection
Selection of target audience in the program.Recognition of resources accessible.Comparison of the accessible resources to select the targeted audience.
Selection of target audience
Rates of mortality and morbidity vary with the type of population.Factors that may increase the level of fire risk in a given population are:AgeGender Communications and language barriersDisability
Interpretation of Fire-Risks
Involvement of public in planning leads to effective risk and problem reduction efforts.The public should be educated on the risks and problems encountered.
Step Three: Design
Development of the program.Identification of required resources.Development of evaluation strategy.
Identification of required resources
Application of the right resources leads to achievement of the set objectives.Resources selected should increase the program’s chances of success.
Development of evaluation strategy
Evaluation process helps in determining the effectiveness of the planned program.Outlines in the evaluation plan are:Tasks performedTimeline for the tasks
Step Four: Implementation
Implementation puts the program into action.Program adjusted to accommodate new alterations.Problems identified are addressed.
Revision of program where necessary
Pilot test conducted to identify problems in the program.Problems that are found should be resolved.Completion of the implementation after revision of the program.
Progress Monitoring and Report Preparation
Progress of fire risk intervention should be monitored progressively.Development of monitoring tools. periodic preparation of reports
Step Five: Evaluation
To determine whether the program is achieving the set goals.Goals to be evaluated are: Reaching the target audienceAchieving the planned impact
Collection of data
Objective way of obtaining information.Broad base of information should be obtained.
Comparison of data and baseline
Establishment of a baseline(starting point) and identification of the benchmark.Baseline information may include:Existing environmental conditionsMeasurements
Modification of program where necessary
Evaluation process determines the performance of different stages.Program modified so as to meet the set objectives
References
Administration, U. F. (June 2008). Public Fire Education Planning : A Five Step Process. Diamantes, D. (2011). Principles of Fire Prevention (2nd ed.). New York: Delmar Cengage Learning.Fire Prevention and Life Safety. (october 2015). Alexandria Government .NO.8306, B. (february 2011). Fire Protection and Life Safety. City of Richmond.