Partnership Includes Virtual Course and Fire Extinguisher Donations to Enhance Well-Being of Communities Nationwide
(Aurora, Ill.) October 18, 2022 – When it comes to fire safety, being prepared is your first line of defense. Having the proper fire safety equipment installed in your home – and knowing how to operate it – is crucial to help protect you and your family. First Alert and the National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) have collaborated on an online whole home safety training course designed for volunteer fire departments nationwide, complemented by a fire extinguisher donation program for community outreach initiatives. These efforts coincide with Fire Prevention Month, celebrated throughout October, to raise awareness about fire prevention and whole home safety.
The online course, “Whole Home Safety: Reducing Preventable In-Home Injuries and Deaths through Community Education,” prepares fire departments to educate residents on reducing preventable injuries and deaths in the home, with a primary focus on fire and references to other causes of at-home accidental injuries and fatalities. Participants will learn how to conduct a community risk assessment, develop fire prevention and whole-home safety strategies, and how to apply best practices for improving community outreach. The training includes critical information about the role smoke, carbon monoxide (CO) and explosive gas alarms, along with fire extinguishing devices, play in community risk reduction, and also features information on home escape planning to help reduce tragic outcomes from fire and CO incidents.
Community risk reduction initiatives nationwide aim to improve outcomes in part thanks to properly installed and maintained smoke and CO alarms. Data show that three out of every five home fire deaths result from fires in homes with no smoke alarms or no working smoke alarms, according to the National Fire Protection Association.
“Equipping your home with safety products you can trust and understanding important precautionary measures are integral parts of a home safety plan,” said Ashley Gocken, a home safety expert with First Alert, the most trusted brand in fire safety, now part of Resideo Technologies, Inc.* “We are proud to play a role in supporting the efforts of volunteer firefighters as they share their knowledge about fire safety and risk mitigation.”
To complement the training, First Alert donated 320 home fire extinguishers to volunteer fire departments to help them make an immediate impact in their communities. The first eight NVFC members to complete the course will each receive 40 First Alert Home1 Fire Extinguishers.
“Having access to this extensive training, along with First Alert’s generous fire extinguisher donation, helps keep fire departments informed on best practices and supplies them with the knowledge to educate their communities,” said NVFC chair Steve Hirsch. “We value our dedicated volunteer firefighters who are committed to keeping residents and their homes safe by reducing preventable injuries and deaths through community education.”
The course is now available in the NVFC Virtual Classroom and can be accessed here. The course will be free for the first 500 participants, courtesy of First Alert. For more information on whole home safety, visit www.firstalert.com.
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*Source: First Alert Brand Trust Survey, January 2022
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