On April 27, 2006, Southern Maine Community College called a meeting of Criminal Justice Initiatives, SMCC Leadership Initiatives, Maine Fire Training and Education, and the Maine Fire Marshal's Office. The purpose was to discuss a grant proposal for a statewide Juvenile Firesetters Intervention Program. Stakeholders represented were firefighters, police officers, mental health workers, public safety educators, and school administrators from throughout Maine.

In the first quarter of 2006, fires in Lewiston and Biddeford resulted in two deaths, both attributed to juvenile firesetters. State Fire Marshal's Office 2004 statistics show $11.5 million in property damage from 373 fires in Maine. These fires were also directly attributed to juvenile firesetting.

The proposed grant will be designed to address this critical issue.

Risk Watch

National Fire Protection Association recently presented South Portland Fire Department with Maine's first Risk Watch Safe Community Award.

Rick Urban, Mike Carroll, Paul Salway, Deputy Chief Miles Haskell, Tom Blake, and Chief Kevin Guimond display Risk Watch Safe Community Award.

Risk Watch gives children a unique opportunity to learn about injury prevention, apply that knowledge in practice situations, and develop attitudes and motivation to make the right choice in a risky situation.

South Portland Fire and School Departments have been working together for the past two years educating children in grades K-3 through classroom presentations, public safety fairs, as well as prevention workshops, and seminars for teachers.

Risk Watch Multi-Hazard House

Fire Eductaion Lt. Rich Miller and Cape Elizabeth Fire Chief Phil McGouldrick using the Risk Watch Safety Hazard House at Cape Elizabeth Elementary School.

The Cape Elizabeth Fire Department recently purchased the Risk Watch Safety Hazard House through a fire act grant with supplemental funds provided by the Cape Elizabeth Education Foundation.

The Hazard House is being used to illustrate in-home fire and safety hazards and how to avoid them.

MFT&E offers "Fire Prevention and Survival" presentations.

Our Fire Prevention and Survival presentation is statistically based, and is designed to enhance the safety and well-being of Maine citizens in relationship to the potential ravages of fire.

Fire Prevention and Survival presentations are available without cost, to adult groups of any size, anywhere in Maine.

We will provide train-the-trainer sessions and presentation media support for fire departments interested in offering local Fire Prevention and Survival presentations.

We are currently pursuing an NFPA Risk Watch© initiative. Information will be posted here as our effort further develops.

USFA Releases Fire and the Older Adult Report

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Adults age 65 and older are 2.5 times more likely to die in fires than the overall population, and as Americans age, their fire risk increases, according to a new report issued today by the Department of Homeland Security’s U.S. Fire Administration (USFA).

“Fires occurring in the home and in various health care settings for older adults are often preventable,” said Charlie Dickinson, Deputy United States Fire Administrator. “Because the older adult population accounts for a substantial portion of the nation’s fire deaths and injuries, it's important that we take steps to reduce this fire problem.”

The report, Fire and the Older Adult, was developed by the National Fire Data Center, part of the U.S. Fire Administration, and is based on research from a variety of public and private organizations and data from the National Fire Incident Reporting System (NFIRS), National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), U.S. Census Bureau, the Federal Interagency Forum on Aging-Related Statistics, and the Department of Health and Human Services’ Administration on Aging. The report analyzes the fire risk to persons age 65 and older as a complement to the USFA’s Fire Safety Campaign for People 50-Plus. The report provides an extensive review of the fire situation for older adults in the United States and evaluates fire risk factors and risks of fire injury and fatality among that population group.

According to 2002 NFIRS data, 34 percent of the people who died in residential structure fires and 14 percent of the people who were injured were age 65 and older.

A copy of the full report can be downloaded from the U.S. Fire Administration web site.

Bill Leighton,
Fire and Life Safety
Education Coordinator

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