New & Noteworthy

March Focus: Poison Prevention

Accidental Poisoning is a Serious Problem

Your community needs information about poison dangers in the home. HSC has free resources to help keep families safer at home:

MySafeHome.org – Use our 3D virtual home to illustrate poison dangers inside and outside the home

Home Safety Literacy Project Poison Prevention Tools for Adults – download free print and visual tools designed especially to educate adults with limited English reading skills

Poison Prevention Brochures in English and Spanish

Carbon Monoxide Poisoning Prevention

Outdoor Poison Prevention

Poison Prevention Tips

MySafeHome.org Has a New Look!

We’ve been busy remodeling HSC’s Web site MySafeHome.org. This interactive educational site lets users explore a virtual home indoors and out, room-by-room. They can download helpful safety guides at no cost. Innovative 3D graphics and comprehensive audio narrations help users see and understand home dangers and effective safety interventions, even if they are not strong readers of English.

Use it as a teaching tool:  Falls, poisoning, fires/burns and all other leading causes of accidental home injury are fully addressed within MySafeHome.org. It’s easy to incorporate this online educational tool into your local safety presentations.

Don’t miss: new 360° home safety views.

Help Your Community Stay Safe this Spring

Download free injury-prevention safety guides, including these topics:
Do it Yourself Safety
Ladder Safety
Home Security
Safe Steps

How are you teaching about spring safety?

Share your story

Submit Your Story Here

Home Fire Sprinkler System Advocacy

Get Recognized as a Built for Life Fire Department

The Home Fire Sprinkler Coalition’s (HFSC) Built for Life Fire Department program supports fire service efforts. HSC urges you to make home fire sprinkler education a focus of your outreach. HFSC can help.

Fire Sprinklers Will be Required in New Homes

Members of the International Code Council (ICC) rejected a petition to repeal the new-home fire sprinkler requirement in the International Residential Code, which becomes effective in 2011. Learn more at the IRC Fire Sprinkler Coalition Web Site.

Tour MySafeHome to watch 3D sprinkler animations, including a side-by-side fire comparison with and without fire sprinklers (check it out by visiting the Living Room).

For Consumers:

HSC’s Residential Fire Sprinkler Page

HFSC’s Sprinkler Smarts online program introduces children in grades K-5 and 6-8 to home fire sprinklers.

New Local Sprinkler Tools, Free from NFSA and IAFC

Download your free copy of the second edition of A Step-by-Step Approach to Communities courtesy of the National Fire Sprinkler Association and International Association of Fire Chiefs.

Contact NFSA's Resource Center at grepko@nfsa.org to request the updated Look Up for Safety CD/DVD Set, at no charge.

Common Voices

The Common Voices Coalition, sponsored by the National Fire Sprinkler Association, is a group of advocates who have been personally affected by fire tragedy.

Public Safety Policy

Residential Fire Sprinkler Installation

Three states have recently adopted the 2009 International Residential Code (IRC), which will require fire sprinklers to be installed in all new construction of one- and two-family homes and townhouses. The Home Safety Council congratulates these states on their progressive public safety efforts: California, New Hampshire and Pennsylvania.

Carbon Monoxide
Protection Gains

A committee of the International Code Council (ICC) accepted several proposals from the National Center for Healthy Housing (NCHH) and the Alliance for Healthy Homes to improve the 2012 version of the International Property Maintenance Code (IPMC), including requiring CO detectors in dwelling units with combustion sources and/or an attached garage. Dr. Angela Mickalide and Meri-K Appy testified on behalf of HSC in support of CO detectors at the ICC hearings. The final vote takes place between October 28 - November 1, 2010.

Online Shopping and Internet Searches Are Helping HSC Help You

Support HSC when you shop online – it’s free

Shop more than 700 stores online and your purchase will help support the Home Safety Council's public education activities and programs. It's free, and it's easy. Any purchase made at igive.com/mysafehome will generate a donation to the Home Safety Council.

Each Internet search using iGive brings pennies to HSC

Use isearchigive.com/mysafehome when you search the Web and the Home Safety Council will receive 2 cents for each search.

We’re Blogging

Read The Bottom Line Blog to stay on top of safety news and trends.

Follow Home Safety Council

We’re on Twitter and Facebook. Check us out.

Speak Up!

Share your experiences with other fire and life safety professionals. Visit the Expert Network Community!

Start Safe: A Fire and Burn Safety Program for Preschool Children and Their Families

HSC has developed a brand new program that reaches children ages 4 - 6, their teachers and parents/caregivers to battle the national problem of home accidents related to fires and burns.

Free Downloads

Expert Network Members may download and print the Start Safe Program materials at no charge.
Click here to join the Expert Network.
Click here to download the Start Safe materials today.

Free Start Safe Training

Listen to an archived edition of the Expert Network Webinar on effective local use of Start Safe. Click here to listen.

Burn Prevention

American Burn Association

With funding from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Fire Prevention & Safety Grant program, the American Burn Association is offering a wide range of fire and burn/scald prevention materials online. Visit the ABA Web site.

What’s New?

Free Expert Network Academy Online Training Announced

The Home Safety Council will offer fire department educators a free online training opportunity in 2010. Funded in part through a 2008 Fire Prevention and Safety grant, the Expert Network Academy computer-based program will serve novice and experienced educators. Read the announcement.

Order "Hard Copy" Teaching Tools from HSC at Low Cost

Members of the Expert Network may order printed/disk materials at the cost of shipping and handling only – $7.50 for 1-3 items. Quantity discounts are also available. Visit HSC's Products and Publications.

National Fire Academy Courses

Learn more about National Fire Academy courses.

Safety Advocacy

Surgeon General

Download the Surgeon General’s Call to Action to Promote Healthy Homes, which contains helpful information your community can follow to stay safe at home from disease, disability and injury.

National Center for Injury Prevention and Control

The NCIPC’s Health Communication Science Office has “Adding Power to Our Voices – A Framing Guide for Communicating About Injury” to help injury professionals ensure their messages are consistent and coordinated.

CodeRedRover.org

HSC's CodeRedRover.org can help children in your community learn how to spot home injury dangers.

Events of Interest to Fire and Life Safety Educators

March 4, 2010

The Association of University Centers on Disabilities (AUCD) is sponsoring the free Webcast “Updating Your Home for Accessibility.” Tune in and hear a rehabilitation engineer discuss design changes that can improve the accessible home environment for people with disabilities and for all who want to stay in their homes indefinitely. Learn more

March 9-12, 2010

Boston is the venue for the 42nd annual American Burn Association conference.

March 14-20, 2010

National Poison Prevention Week takes place in March.

April 5-11, 2010

The American Public Health Association sponsors National Public Health Week.

May 2-8, 2010

National Arson Awareness Week 2010 is May 2-8 with a focus on community arson prevention.

June 7-10, 2010

NFPA’s Conference and Expo will take place in Las Vegas.

May-June 2010

NASFM Youth Fire Prevention Train-the-Trainer Workshops take place in all 10 FEMA Regions from May through June 2010.

July 22-24, 2010

The 2010 NASFM Annual Conference will be held in Chicago.

September 25, 2010

The Home Safety Council will partner with Lowe’s Companies this fall to bring Safety Saturday to Lowe’s stores across the country. Visit the Safety Saturday section of HSC’s Web site often to learn more about the national event and to get ideas to help your community make every Saturday a safe one.

United States Congress

Resources to help you stay on top of legislative issues:
2009 Congressional calendars and other resources
HSC's Policy Advocates Page
Contact Your Representative
Contact Your Senator