NASFM Youth Fire Prevention Workshops:
Opening the Window

If you’re breathing the same air you were 5 years ago, open a window.
--Youth Fire Prevention workshop participant

Fireproof Children developed the Youth Fire Prevention workshops for the National Association of State Fire Marshals Fire Research and Education Foundation, funded through a FEMA grant. Since January 2010, we’ve delivered these workshops in the ten FEMA regions. This is the first in a series of articles sharing lessons learned.

From beginning to end, the format of the Youth Fire Prevention workshops supported the goal of building networks, identifying solutions and taking action.

1. Networking began before each workshop. Recruitment in each state reached out to all disciplines that make up local coalitions. We sought out participation from not only fire marshals, educators and investigators, but social workers, probation officers, juvenile justice coordinators, and mental health professionals.

One reason for recruiting people from many disciplines was to integrate prevention and intervention. After all, both prevent fires—first fires or subsequent fires. Preventing the first fire has a substantially greater impact on reducing child fires than does a predominant focus on intervention after a fire.

Another reason was that, rather than just talking about the need to share data and resources, we started the process right there in the room. Participants worked together in this workshop—just like they need to do in their communities and regions. Networks formed right there during the workshop, taking advantage of the opportunity and momentum. Sometimes it was hard to get them to come back from their small group work to rejoin the full workshop!

© Fireproof Children /Prevention First 2005. One Grove Street, Suite 235. Pittsford, NY 14534