Cooking Fires: Making the Neighborhood Connection Worcester Fire Department Public Education, Risk Reduction Division Lt. AnnMarie Pickett

► Offline division was formed in March 2007 ► I joined the division in December 2008  Programs started in January 2009  Formal evaluation since 2010 ► Division manned by one, with hopes of expansion

Agenda ► Meet the City of Worcester ► Situation Analysis/ Executive Summary  Action Plan ► SWOT Analysis

Wista. Worchester. Woosta. Wuhstuh. Woo’ster. ____________________ WORCESTER My kind of place…however you say it.

Worcester, MA ► Population: 186,000 ► Square Miles: 37.6 ► 77,314 Housing Units ≈30,000 Houses ≈30,000 Houses ≈45,000 Multi-Family ≈45,000 Multi-Family ≈30+ High rises ≈30+ High rises

Worcester, MA ► First in America to mass produce Valentines (1847) ► Invented Birth control (1957) ► Harvey Ball  Inventor of the smiley face (1963)

Introduction ► Identification a fire problem in a specific area to target a specific audience (Executive Summary) (Executive Summary) ► Mitigation of said problem (Action Plan) (Action Plan) ► Now in the process of evaluating our efforts

How Issue was Found ► Pub. Ed. Receives every fire call after investigation ► Entered into Excel  Categorized by: ► Origin ► Cause ► Geographical Location ► Fire Fighter/Civilian Injuries ► Marked on a map

2010

Plan of Action ► EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ► COMMUNITY PROFILE TOOLS ► CLEAR MESSAGE ► LESSON PLANS ► ISDIE MODEL

Strength ► PREVENTABLE! ► Privately owned vs. public housing ► Window of opportunity/teachable moments Weakness ► 1 vs. 4,000 (resources) ► Division in its Infancy ► Low funding Opportunity ► Educate neighborhood ► Engineering ► Controllable variable (material being taught) Threats ► Uncontrollable Variable (Civilians) ► Ability to understand, level of retention in civilians

Data Collection Resources ► (DFS) ► ► Census Bureau ► ► MBIRS ► NFIRS ► National Fire Academy (community profiling) ► Local American Red Cross

“ Problem Area” Identification Country Club Blvd., Pleasant Valley Dr. ► Zip Code: ► Occupancy: 4,000 ► Housing Units: 1,300 ► 50% of civilian injuries are from cooking fires

Identify Problem Problem ► Unattended cooking  Pre-event: leave pan  Event: inappropriate actions  Post-event: inappropriate actions Result ► Displacements ► Monetary Loss  Damages to apartments  Personal items ► Injury  Burns

Identify— Target the audience ► Find out makeup of community Find out who, what, when, where, why, and how these cooking fires are occurring Find out who, what, when, where, why, and how these cooking fires are occurring ► Form alliances  With complex  With vendors  With Fire Department ► Strategies on how to reach community

Implementation ► Introduce the 3 E’s  Education ► To make a behavioral change by providing accurate material and increasing awareness  Engineering ► To provide a greater level of safety improved technology  Enforcement ► Codes, ordinances, and requirements for compliance

Education ► Worked with afterschool ► On-site workshops at each of the 3 high rises ► On-site spree day ► On-going relationship with management

Engineering 2 installed in each unit $17/canister or $34/unit

Enforcement ► Make sure complex is up to code ► Complex came up with consequences  Apartment inspections  Non compliance  Fire Safety institutionalized in welcome package

Implementation/Form Partnerships ► Worcester Fire Department  Provided fire trucks and personnel ► The Complex its self  Provided rooms to accommodate workshops  Advertisements leading up to events  Fire stop ► Red Cross  Provided personnel Papa Gino’s Papa Gino’s - Provided 50 pizzas

Evaluation ► 50% of civilian injuries came from this complex ► 1-2 kitchen related fires per month that lead to family displacements ► $15,000-50,000 damages/incident 2011 ► 3 cooking related incidents ► 1 civilian injuries ► 0 family displacements ► $100=1,000 in damages

Picture 2011

Resources for educational materials ► Cooking Fire & Burn Safety Tips DFS (Department of Fire Services) DFS (Department of Fire Services) P.O. Box 1025 – State Road Stowe, Massachusetts ► NFPA.org ► USFA--

QUESTIONS?