Question & Answer Transcript Start Safe Program Webinar September 10, 2009

The Home Safety Council would like to thank everyone for their participation in the Start Safe Program Webinar and for sending in such thought provoking questions. Included below is a transcript of the questions submitted during the presentation and responses provided by the presenters. If you have questions or would like any additional information regarding the discussion below, please email info@homesafetycouncil.org and a response will be sent back to you.

Q: Is the curriculum strictly for ages 4, 5, & 6 or could a 3 year old understand the message?

A: The program is designed for older preschoolers, ages 4, 5 & 6. It certainly won’t harm younger children. Children as young as 3 years old can participate. However, children under age 4 probably won’t be able to get the full benefit of the program. If there are 3 year olds in your preschool classroom, you don’t have to take them away. There’s nothing scary about it, but it’s more effectively used for ages 4 to 6.

Q: The USFA recommends the installation of both ionization and photo electric or dual sensor smoke alarms. Does Start Safe provide these type of recommendations to parents regarding the type of smoke alarm to install?

A: The position of the Home Safety Council is that both of these are important to have in homes because they are used to alert you to different types of fires – smoking fires versus flaming fires. We go into some of that in the educational program for the fire service. We elected to keep the messaging in the program about smoke alarms very simple. We are strong advocates for families to have enough working smoke alarms and we’d rather families have more smoke alarms than an alarm that maybe they can’t afford. More is better. Working is better. And knowing what to do when the smoke alarm sounds is crucial. If your fire department is able to install smoke alarms and you’re able to install both ionization and photo electric smoke alarms, that’s fantastic. Some families will only be able to afford one kind of alarm and that’s fine. The differences between the two can get very complicated for the public, so in the program, we’re just focusing on families have working smoke alarms in their homes, on every level, and outside every bedroom.

Q: I noticed that the firefighter demonstrating Stop, Drop, and Roll did not have his face covered. Is that the accepted practice now?

A: A recent study was just conducted by the NFPA Research Foundation on which placement, over the face or across the chest, was most effective and it was determined that placing your hands across your chest is best. Again, we’re not spending a lot of time going through Stop, Drop and Roll, but the picture was designed to demonstrate the best method based on the most recent research.

Q: My team members are wondering if a Train the Trainer Workshop would be necessary or are the presentation to the caregivers sufficient?

A: The expert DVD is a wonderful overview of the whole program. In addition to the archived Webinar presentation, get your team together and view the DVD. Watching both together would really be all you need for training. It’s always good to share what you know with other members of your department so they can help you present consistent educational messages whenever they come in contact with the public. Watching the DVD with the entire Head Start or preschool staff also helps ensure message repetition and consistency…and also helps ensure the staff knows what to do to keep their own families safe at home.

Q: Were any of the Head Start sites part of Region 11 (American Indian - Alaska Native Head Start Programs)?

A: Yes, we are working with the Indian Health Service on the Start Safe program. It is currently being pilot-tested in a Cherokee Nation community in Nowata, Oklahoma, so we will use that as a case study and hope to learn more about the application of Start Safe with a special population.

Q: Is there a tool for us to use in providing training to teachers and parents prior to implementation of the program?

A: One of the segments on the DVD is a general overview that can be used to sell the program into your community. You can hold a brief presentation to teach teachers and parents about Start Safe – how it’s implemented and what the components are. Also, share the Expert Guide for Teachers booklet that you’ll receive in the packet. Preschool teachers are very used to working with lesson guides like these and if you provide them with this Guide, they’ll be able to get the hang of it. That’s why we’re so excited about pairing up the teachers and fire fighters. You both do wonderful things and working together, your combined tasks and talents will really make a difference in making this program come alive. Teachers won’t need much training but they’ll need the fire fighters to be their go-to source for the fire and burn content especially if questions come up from the caregivers, parents or the children. And, of course, the children will love it when their local heroes visit their classroom to talk about fire and burn safety!

Q: What will come with this packet for viewing the webinar?

A: In the packet, you will receive the following Start Safe materials:

• A letter from Meri-K Appy and Dr. Angela Mickalide about the Program
• A DVD titled “A Fire and Life Safety Educators Guide to Start Safe”
• Two complete sets of the following materials:
  • One Big Book
  • “I Spot Something Hot” DVD
  • 30 copies of the Parent Booklet
  • 30 “mini-versions” of the Big Book for the children
  • 3 copies of the Teacher’s Guide (one to keep, two to share)
  • An evaluation form

Additional copies of the materials and kit are available through November 6, 2009 when our grant with the Department of Homeland Security concludes, but we’re trying to distribute these kits as widely as possible. It’s best to use the kit you have now and then download additional materials from our Web site (www.homesafetycouncil.org/startsafeprogram) as you need them.

Q: Are mascots like Sparky the Dog frightening to children? We’re considering using a mascot while teaching the program, but don’t want to scare the children.

A: That is a perfect question to ask your classroom teacher. They know the children best and will be able assess that for you. If the classroom has 3 year olds, there’s a good chance that they will be frightened. It might be best if the mascot is sitting down and the children come into a room rather than the mascot walking into their classroom. We want fire fighters to partner with teachers on those kinds of things. The mascot should not force interaction with the children. The children who want to interact with the mascot will.

Q: May I download facts, sheets, etc. from the Home Safety Council Web site to distribute during public education events? I do not want to violate any copy right laws.

A: All of the materials that you can get from www.homesafetycouncil.org/startsafeprogram or other areas of our Web site are there for your use, so please feel free to download and make copies of our materials. Some of our classroom teachers said they laminated their Big Books to make them sturdier. They were then able to put the Big Book on an easel and use it as a permanent poster for the students. When using any of the Home Safety Council’s copyrighted materials, we just ask that you please do not alter the materials and credit any information you pull from our materials for your own use. We also have an e-store if you’d like to purchase pre-printed sets of materials. By joining our Expert Network, you’ll receive access to free and low-cost materials, so if you haven’t joined yet, please do so today at www.homesafetycouncil.org/expertnetwork.

Q: Is there any cost involved with the Start Safe program and if not is there any obligation to teach the course if we get the materials for free.

A: Through the generosity of a 2008 AFG Fire Prevention and Safety Grant we received from the FEMA/Grants Program Directorate, we are in the process of distributing 5,000 Start Safe packages to members of the HSC Expert Network, each containing 2 complete programs. This is on top of a direct distribution of Start Safe to 6,750 low-income preschools across America, conducted earlier this year as a beta test of the program. Our goal is to secure additional funding to produce and distribution thousands more free programs in 2010 – stay tuned! As for being “obligated” to teach the program…let’s face it, Start Safe won’t help anyone if it sits on a shelf! Our goal is to motivate and equip fire departments across America to take a much more proactive role in reaching high-risk preschoolers and their families with the knowledge and tools they need to stay safe from fires and burns. We understand the economy is making it increasing difficult for fire departments to fulfill their educational mission. HSC is committed to doing everything we can to provide free, proven, and turnkey tools to the fire service to help them meet their education and outreach goals.

Q: Can this program be used along with the S.A.I.F.E. program?

A: You bet! The “Smoke Alarm Installation and Fires Safety Education” program, sponsored by the Centers for Disease Control as a partnership with the U.S. fire service, has been proven effective in increasing the number of homes protected by working smoke alarms. This initiative targets high-risk households with lower levels of income and education. Because the Start Safe materials were designed with technical assistance from our partners at ProLiteracy, the materials for parents and caregivers are easy to read and understand. We also commissioned special photo shoots to ensure the DVD segment and online PowerPoint has lots of clear and accurate illustrations of key fire and burn safety messages. The Start Safe program is designed for use in early childhood classrooms, but the materials can certainly be effectively integrated into other public education efforts as well.

Q: Are materials available for us to order for all of our Head Start Classrooms? Is there a fee associated with the materials you are showing us?

A: Like we said above, the Start Safe program was distributed to 6,750 low-income preschools across America earlier this year as a beta test of the program and our goal is to secure additional funding to produce and distribution thousands more free programs in 2010 – stay tuned!

Q: Where in Cincinnati did you do the Pilot?

A: Start Safe was pilot-tested at the HCESC Early Learning Program, 924 Waycross Road.

Q: What is the ideal time frame for kids and adults while teaching them a fire safety lesson?

A: Because young children learn best through frequent repetition, HSC recommends a minimum of 4 Start Safe classroom lessons, with at least one of these conducted by a well-prepared member of the fire service. (The beauty of partnering with preschool teachers is that they can introduce and reinforce the safety lessons to the children when you’re not there.) Just as important, however, is the connection the fire service makes with the children’s parents and caregivers. HSC believes the adults in the family are the ones best positioned to make needed changes in the home to keep their children safe. We hope the fire department will interact with the grownups as often as possible – through at least one parent meeting and, if possible, through periodic visits to the school to speak one-one-one with the parents and caregivers. Some of our pilot sites hosted a culminating event to celebrate what the children learned through Start Safe. This is great family reinforcement, and also presents a wonderful opportunity to invite community leaders and the media to recognize what has been achieved.

Q: How many times should we try and give this course to the same class each year?

A: Because young children learn best through frequent repetition, HSC recommends a minimum of 4 Start Safe classroom lessons, with at least one of these conducted by a well-prepared member of the fire service.