PROCLAIM OCTOBER 2016 AS NATIONAL FIRE PREVENTION MONTH
Staff Contact: Terry Garrison, Fire Chief
Presented By: Office of the Mayor
Accepted By: Jason Webb, Glendale Firefighter Paramedic
Purpose and Recommended Action
This is a request for City Council to proclaim October 2016 as National Fire Prevention Month in Glendale and to present the proclamation to Glendale Firefighter Paramedic, Burn Survivor, and Arizona Burn Foundation Camp Courage Director Jason Webb.
Firefighter Paramedic Webb was chosen to be this year’s proclamation recipient because of his tireless efforts as a Glendale Fire Pal who teaches Glendale school students fire safety and his numerous years of work with the Arizona Burn Foundation children’s burn camp known as Camp Courage.
Background
The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) has designated October 9-15, 2016, as National Fire Prevention Week with the theme, “Don’t Wait Check the Date: Replace Smoke Alarms Every 10 Years.” Each year Glendale proclaims October as Fire Prevention Month to remind everyone of the importance of fire safety. Fire safety education for citizens is a priority in the city of Glendale and in 2015; the Glendale Fire Department provided 265 fire safety presentations to over 7,798 youth and 1,075 adults.
Some of the fire safety programs provided by the Glendale Fire Department include: home escape planning, kitchen safety, smoke alarm tips, general home fire safety, and youth firesetter intervention and prevention programs. Citizens are encouraged to visit the Fire Department’s web page at www.glendaleaz.com/fire <http://www.glendaleaz.com/fire> for more information, or contact the Fire Department’s Public Educator Manager at 623-930-4483 to schedule a fire safety presentation.
Previous Related Council Action
Council has proclaimed October as Fire Prevention Month in Glendale since 1997.
Community Benefit/Public Involvement
For the last three years the NFPA has focused their National Fire Prevention Week message on smoke alarms due to public misconceptions regarding smoke alarms, which could place citizens at greater risk in a home fire. NFPA research has found the following:
• Only a small percentage of people know how old their smoke alarms are.
• Only a small percentage of homeowners know how often smoke alarms should be replaced
This year’s message; “Don’t Wait Check the Date: Replace Smoke Alarms Every 10 Years,” is directed at the public misconceptions regarding smoke alarms. The key messages that the NFPA and the Glendale Fire Department want citizens to understand about smoke alarm replacement are:
• Smoke alarms should be replaced every 10 years
• Make sure you know the age of all smoke alarms in your home
• To find out how old your smoke alarms are, look at the manufacture date on the back label of the smoke alarm, the alarm should be replaced 10 years from that date
The goal this year is to transform awareness into action by encouraging citizens to check the date on their smoke alarms and to replace smoke alarms that are 10 years old or older.