Coffee Break Training (Fire Prevention and Public Education):

Thursday, April 4, 2013

Coffee Break Training (Fire Prevention and Public Education):

Leading a Fire Prevention/Risk-Reduction Bureau
No. FM-2013-2 April 4, 2013

Learning Objective: The student shall explain the goal of the fire prevention/risk reduction bureau leader in using multiple interventions.

Being in command of a fire prevention/risk-reduction bureau or unit is one of the most challenging, yet rewarding, positions in a fire department. It is also one of the most important positions in a fire department.
This statement is true regardless if one is overseeing a large bureau, leading a small unit, or carrying out many responsibilities in a small organization.
The position carries tremendous responsibility because the leader often has authority or
responsibility with the chief of the department over a wide range of programs. While the job is sometimes reactionary in nature, it is mostly a proactive position that requires vision, leadership and mastery of a diverse set of skills.
The ultimate job of the bureau leader is to ensure that risks in the community are addressed
both efficiently and effectively. The bureau leader needs to have a professional skill set, so he or she is competent in the role of administrator, department senior staff member, mentor, politician, problem-solver and visionary.

The structure of a risk-reduction bureau will vary based upon the department and community. Some prevention bureaus are responsible for public education, plan review, code enforcement and fire investigations. Others may include a mix.

Staffing will obviously vary based upon the types and levels of services provided. It is the leader’s responsibility to develop a team-based integrated approach utilizing a combination of prevention interventions.

The goal of utilizing multiple interventions is twofold: 1. to prevent the incidents from occurring
and 2. to reduce or mitigate the impact of the incident when prevention fails. Prevention interventions, known as the Five Es, include:

Education: Teaching the public and responders what risks threaten their community and what they can do to help prevent and/or mitigate the impact.
Engineering: Suggesting the use of technology, such as smoke alarms and residential sprinklers, to help prevent and/or mitigate target risks.
Enforcement: Passing, strengthening and enforcing codes, laws and ordinances.
Economic incentive: Working to incorporate incentives that support risk reduction such as tax incentives for installation of residential sprinklers or free smoke alarms.
Emergency response: Support the existence of an adequately staffed, equipped and trained group of emergency responders.

It is the responsibility of the risk-reduction leader to work with his or her organization and community to identify local risk priorities and address them in a strategic manner.

Source: National Fire Academy’s course “Managing Effective Fire Prevention Programs,” December 2012

CFN - California Fire News 2013

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How fires get their names

Every year in California thousands of wildfires start throughout the state. In most cases, the dispatch center sending the initial resources to a wildland fire will designate a name for the fire, but the first on scene engine or fire official can also name the incident. Fires are usually named for the area in which they start – a geographical location, local landmark, street, lake, mountain, peak, etc. Quickly naming the fire provides responding fire resources with an additional locater, and allows fire officials to track and prioritize incidents by name. For example during the Southern California Fire Siege of 2003, the largest wildland fire in California history, the Cedar Fire in San Diego County, was named after the Cedar Creek Falls area where it started. The destructive Old Fire, which burned during the same time period in San Bernardino County, was named after the road along which it started - Old Waterman Canyon Road.

CAL FIRE is the largest fire department in California and the second largest fire department in the United States. CDF - CAL FIRE Firefighters answer the call more than 300,000 times a year. CAL FIRE Firefighters make up the fire department for 30 of our 58 counties in California and more than 100 local communities. We serve as the incident command during many of California’s most serious disasters. CAL FIRE Firefighters respond to many various types and forms of calls ranging from structural fires, to auto accidents, to earthquakes, to floods, to the spilling of hazardous materials, to every conceivable disaster; CAL FIRE answer's the calls. CAL FIRE is the largest fire department in California and the second largest fire department in the United States . CAL FIRE firefighters protect 33 million acres of State Responsibility Area (SRA). We have over 4,000 members within CAL FIRE and CAL FIRE is associated with the California Professional Firefighters (CPF) and the International Association of Firefighters (IAFF).

CFN - CALIFORNIA FIRE NEWS - CAL FIRE NEWS

Thursday, April 4, 2013