The NFPA carries out a National Fire Prevention Week every year in memory of a Chicago fire in the 19th century. (Fire Prevention History) If I was appointed as the State Fire Marshal I would carry out a program that would reach ouch to all the schools in the state. Although schools do a great job in implementing fire drill practices in their schools they need to focus on the students understanding the importance of the drills.
I would seek out the help of the NFPA to set up a committee of volunteers who would go around schools and conduct open-ended seminars so students can learn and ask questions. “The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) estimates that approximately 80 percent of all fire deaths in the United States and Canada occur in the Home. Roughly 11 people per day, die in home fires in the U.S and Canada.” (Know When to Go, React Fast to Fire) People usually tend to understand tragedy better when it hits home and to reinforce the message in the seminars an activity should be carried out by all the school’s Student Council’s or Fire Safety Clubs.
Since it is difficult to reach out to every person in a State the state Student Council committee can be reached instead and be told to carry out a fire prevention program in each of the districts and schools underneath it.
The activity is simple and does not require a lot of funds and has a huge impact. Every thirty minutes a student who volunteered should paint his or her face black and hang a poster board around him or her that tells his story and how he could have prevented the fire but and taken the appropriate measures to prevent his death. This student would then not be allowed to speak to anyone in school for the rest of the day so people can observe what it feels like to have life be void when there could have easily been preventative measures. This activity shouldn’t be hard to adapt to as most schools and students councils already carry out similar activities around prom that address the issue of drinking and driving.
To create a bigger impact a few schools should capture the day’s activity on a camera and get feedback from the people whose friends participated to be the victims and how they felt without talking to their buddies all day. If schools have TV facilities the videos can be played back for the entire school to see and take notice and hopefully realize the importance of fire safety and prevention. Any funds that are needed can always be raised through the Student Council and their annual fundraisers that already take place to fund school-related activities of this sort.
References
Fire Prevention History. Web.
Know When to Go React Fast to Fire. Web.