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FIRE PREVENTION

The Go-To Place: With a little ingenuity, public safety educational centers can work well

By Jim Crawford

The idea of having a central location for learning isn’t new. We call them schools. But what about a school that teaches fire safety and injury prevention? That idea has also been around for many years, but with mixed success.

The first I heard about was in Houston in the 1980s. Unfortunately, for the expense of providing a physical location, only a few hundred people were “educated” at this location in a year’s time. So, based on these numbers alone, I devoted my attention in my jurisdiction to marketing techniques that could bring our messages to thousands for a fraction of the cost.

NYC’s Example
Then came 9/11 and a visit to New York City for ceremonies honoring those who died at the World Trade Center. I knew of the fire museum in Rockefeller Center and decided to check it out.

At first blush, I cynically thought the museum’s educational wing, “the Fire Zone,” embodied a typical fire department approach to children and fire prevention, which too often entails teaching kids about the job of being a firefighter, while neglecting the prevention message. I don’t mean to sound like an education snob, but I think the real message we need to drive home is one that makes children safer after they’ve left the educational center.

The museum featured the regular exhibits: a scaled-down version of a fire engine that kids could climb on, touch-screen computers for learning about firefighter’s equipment and a pole for sliding down. Predictably, it was built to look like an engine bay.

And then the educational process began. A “firefighter” slid down the pole in turnouts, greeted the children and took them on a “ride” on the fire engine, where they learned about moving out of the way of emergency vehicles.

“This is good,” I thought. At least they were learning something important as well as having some fun. Then the rear bay door opened, simulated smoke poured out, captivating the young audience, and they were ushered into a learning environment built by Broadway stage hands to simulate a burne- out apartment building—complete with multiple examples of fire hazards.

“This is brilliant!” I thought. It captured the imagination of the kids and brought home the message. I later learned that families were actually paying for the tour because it was so popular with children.

Portland’s Efforts
Fast forward a few years to Portland, Ore., and a dedicated educator named Don Porth. Enlightened leadership in that department, including Chief John Klum, designated a fire station that was soon to be retired as a center for fire safety and injury prevention. Dubbed the “Historic Belmont Firehouse,” after the neighborhood in which it resides, the old station was transformed into a learning museum. Visitors could see the bite marks from the horses that had been stabled there for horse-drawn firefighting apparatus. It breathed history.

But it’s more than just history. Additionally, numerous interactive displays educate children and their families about safety. Staffed with existing public education personnel, the center hosts a special “Safety Saturday” event once a month. Their outreach efforts focus especially on schools, scouting groups, seniors (who tend to be most interested in the historical aspect) and customized special events.

Special events have included dinner parties, luncheons, birthday parties and even firehouse movie nights. They have space for special meetings and social gatherings, and this all helps to pay the cost of operations.
The entire effort is predicated on the idea that we can and should bring our audiences to us. But to do so, we must have an attractive venue that draws them in. I love the concept of a historical museum, which draws in a variety of buffs and seniors, and then offers entertaining and substantive educational presentations. As Porth says, it’s really an interpretive center where people learn about the fire service, but the primary message is personal safety.

Conclusion
New York and Portland have taken the concept of an educational center and applied it in an attention-gathering manner. And though Portland doesn’t enjoy the financial resources of a big-city department (nor donated space at the Rockefeller Center), they made do with what they had and the result is exemplary.
This makes me think others could do the same. A fire education center isn’t the only way to reach our audiences, but it is a venue worth considering for those with the resources to make it happen.
Readers interested in New York’s Fire Zone can visit www.fdnyfirezone.org. To learn more about Portland’s Historic Belmont Fire House visit www.jeffmorris
foundation.org. Portland’s Don Porth can be reached at dporth@fire.ci.portland.or.us.

Jim Crawford is a district chief and fire marshal with the Vancouver (Wash.) Fire Department and is chair of the NFPA technical committee on professional qualifications for fire marshals. He has written “Fire Prevention: A Comprehensive Approach,” published by Brady, and has also written a chapter on fire prevention in “Managing Fire and Rescue Services,” published by the International City/County Managers Association. Crawford is a past president of the International Fire Marshals Association and has served on the NFPA’s Standards Council. He is a member of the IAFC.