Fireproof Children Obtains FEMA Grant

Fireproof Children/Prevention First, an international center for injury prevention research and education based in Rochester, New York, has received a $715,568 grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, to provide fire safety workshops to preschool
directors across the country.

This is the company’s third major FEMA grant to develop, deliver and
evaluate Prevention First Preschool: Train the Trainer Fire Safety Education for Preschool Children and Families in states with high levels of fire-related deaths and injuries to young children, including New York, Indiana, Kansas, Maryland, Missouri, Oklahoma, and Texas.

Nationwide, unintentional injuries are the leading cause of death for
children ages 3-5. Fire is the second highest cause of such fatal injuries, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data for 1999-2002, the most recent years available.

“Prevention First Preschool has been found to increase preschool teachers’ ability to teach effective fire safety education, and their commitment to doing so,” said Dr. Robert Cole, president of Fireproof Children. “The program also incorporates home safety messages for families, such as the importance of a working smoke alarm, and practicing an exit plan.”

The 2005 Prevention First Preschool program will introduce a children’s book, conveying important safety messages in an engaging story. Children participating in the program will also be able to take these books home, to be read to them by their parents.

The current FEMA grant will also support evaluation of the effectiveness of a smoke alarm initiative, which distributed 20,000 smoke alarms through last year’s Prevention First Preschool program.