1. Give2Safety: To celebrate Home Safety Month, we’re building an online safety home to honor all the fire and life safety professionals as well as families who work together to keep one another safe. Click here to join our campaign by making a donation and dedicating a piece of the home to someone special in your life. Whether it’s a colleague or family member who has helped keep you safe at home through the years or in honor of your kids you now work so hard to protect from injuries, dedicating a piece of our online safety home is the perfect way to show you care.

2. Visit our online Home Safety Month resource center for tools you can use to promote home safety in your community this June.

3. Also, visit our newly remodeled MySafeHome.org tour and start incorporating it as an interactive tool to teach families in your community how to be safer at home.

Click here to watch a quick intro video and see how MySafeHome.org brings home safety to life!

Click here to visit MySafeHome.org!

Note: Please be patient as the video may take a few minutes to load your first time viewing it.

Click here to visit the Home Safety Month page

Go to www.homesafetycouncil.org/startsafeprogram for more information and to download the various materials available for educators like yourselves as well as for parents in your community. Don't forget to check out the new online games posted for kids too!

Thank you for your continued support,

The Home Safety Council

The Home Safety Council is inviting Expert Network members to join in on the Webinar. There are only 50 spots left so click here to register now!

When: Wednesday, March 24 from 2 to 3:30 PM EST

1. Bookmark this link

2. Set a daily reminder in your calendar

3. Vote more than once using all of your e-mail addresses (work, personal, etc.)

• Require use of the lead-safe work practices to repair deteriorated paint on structures built before 1978. The LSWPs are those in EPA's Renovation, Repair, and Painting Rule. In the rule, "paint" is presumed to be lead-based paint.


• Require carbon monoxide alarms in dwelling units with combustion sources or an attached garage. There are exemptions for homes with ventilated or open attached garages.


• Prohibit the use of portable unvented fuel-burning space heaters to provide comfort heating.

• Requiring radon-resistant new construction in high-risk areas (counties designated as Zone 1 and Zone 2).


• Requiring removal, replacement, or remediation of interior porous or water-permeable surfaces with visible mold.


• Defining "sanitary" so code inspectors can more effectively apply the term that is used throughout the IPMC and modifying the definition of "infestation."


• Requiring use of licensed pest management professionals when a code official orders pest control.


• Establish clear provisions in the IPMC for standards to address specific health issues.

• On January 31, 2003, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Executive Potential Program Team Six published their report titled, “Survey, Assessment, and Recommendations for the Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program.” The report states in part that their goal was to provide a comprehensive evaluation of the program by providing both qualitative and quantitative measures which reflect the positive impacts of these funds. Their finding clearly indicates that the grant program is “highly effective in improving the readiness and capabilities of firefighters across the nation.” 


• This year, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), released a report assessing the effectiveness of the Fire Grants Program for Fiscal Year 2008. As a result of this OMB evaluation process, the Fire Grants Program was one of only ten programs in the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to receive an “Effective” rating and was one of only two programs in FEMA to receive an “Effective” rating. It’s important to note that the total weighted score issued by OMB for the Fire Grants Program was 95%. Only one program in DHS received a higher score from OMB, and that was 96% (a Secret Service Program).   

Bottom line, the Fire Grants Program has been independently rated as one of the most effective Federal programs in existence, and with all that’s been accomplished through this important funding since it was established, neither FIRE nor SAFER have ever been funded to their authorized levels. One can’t help but wonder what could have been accomplished if these programs were fully funded. Even with the positive evaluations the programs have received, FEMA is working to improve the availability of pertinent data, as well as better evaluate and document the outcomes achieved (past, present, and future) as a result of these grants.

Conducting and publishing a very narrow evaluation of an important public safety program like the Fire Grants just at the time that their future is being determined by Congress does not constitute positive “Leadership For America”, as professed by The Heritage Foundation through their logo. Most Americans, whose lives and property are protected by the nations’ fire service, would probably define responsible leadership differently than the Heritage Foundation has practiced in their recent report on the Fire Grants Program. Congress and the Administration understand the full purpose and value of these grants…and we should let them know how much we appreciate their support. Fire departments and fire service affiliate organizations are very fortunate to have the FIRE and SAFER grants to help them perform their missions. We should never take this funding for granted and we must work together and be willing to fight to make sure they remain in place for the benefit of the nation and the fire service in the future. That commitment constitutes Positive Leadership for America.   

To read the full articles, go to FireRescue1.com or IRCfiresprinkler.org.

• 1 Get Ready with Freddie! packet with DVD


• 1 Safety Rangers Spot Dangers packet


• 1 Safety Rangers Stay Away from Fire Dangers


• 1 Code Red Rover, Grownup Come Over DVD


• 1 Great Safety Adventure Curriculum kit

Safety Calendar

National Preparedness Month (September 2009): Help families in your community prepare for disaster with HSC's tips and information.

National Falls Awareness Day (September 22, 2009): Educate your community on the steps needed to prevent falls at home, the leading cause of home injury.

• Encourage families in your community to use the Community Preparedness Toolkit to develop their own "do-it-yourself" service projects and help prepare your local community for disasters. 


• Post opportunities for citizens to volunteer in your organization on Serve.gov.


• Share information about United We Serve, including a link to the President’s video, through your Web site and any online communications vehicles.


• Add a link on your homepage to Serve.gov – banners and logos are available at http://www.serve.gov/link.asp.


• Issue a press release about your participation in United We Serve – you can use downloadable sample press releases and media advisories to fit your organization’s needs in promoting volunteer opportunities in your communities. (You can find them to the right of the linked page in the “Promote Your Project in the Media” section).


• Share stories about how your volunteers are making a difference at http://www.serve.gov/share.asp. United We Serve will highlight examples of exemplary service throughout this summer on its high-traffic blog.

1. Work with your local Lowe’s store to host a Safety Saturday event on September 26^th. Click here to learn more.


2. Share project idea starters to help families in your community tackle a different home safety project each Saturday. Click here to get started!

In July, the Home Safety Council will host a Webinar to provide additional details on Safety Saturday and tips to help you get involved, Please visit www.homesafetycouncil.org/safetysaturday regularly! We will post the Webinar date, time and registration in the days to come and we will be adding new information online continuously through September.