Palos Fire Protection District and Peace Village Awarded NFPA Scholarship

September 26, 2011-- The Palos Fire Protection District and Peace Village have  been awarded scholarships to participate in a training conference dedicated to Remembering When: A Fire and Fall Prevention Program for Older Adults, developed by the National Fire Protection Association, NFPA.  The awarded scholarships provide for travel expenses for two  participants, Remembering When curriculum materials and all training.

The conference will be held December 4-6, 2011, in Boston, Massachusetts. NFPA has selected two-member teams from 29 communities across the country to participate.  Teams are comprised of one fire department member partnered with an individual from an organization within the community that serves older adults.

“Adults 65 years and older are more than twice as likely to be killed in a home fire compared to the population at large, and falls are the leading cause of death from injuries in this group,” said Sharon Gamache, Program Director of High-Risk Outreach Programs, “This training offers strategies that participants can bring back to share with their communities to help prevent fires and falls among older adults that live there.”

The Remembering When program focuses on 16 key fire and fall prevention messages.  Some of the messages include the following: To prevent fires, space heaters should be kept at least 3 feet (1 meter) from anything that can burn and unplugged when no one’s home or at bedtime.   While cooking, older adults should wear tight fitting clothing or short sleeves so clothes don’t ignite from the stove.  People should never leave cooking unattended or cook if drowsy from medicine or alcohol.

To prevent falls, older adults should exercise to improve balance and build strength.  Consulting a doctor first about ability-appropriate exercise is best.  To prevent falls in the home, it’s important to clear stairs and hallways of electrical cords, shoes, books, magazines, clothing and any other things that can be tripped over.

Thomas O’Connor of Palos Fire Protection District and Diane Oremovich of Peace Village in Palos Park will travel to Boston for the workshop. Following the workshop, Tom O’Connor and Diane Oremovich will conduct a minimum of five group presentations and at least two train-the-trainer sessions.  Peace Village will integrate materials from the Remembering When program into its outreach through home visits.

NFPA’s committed to helping communities reduce fire and fall injuries and deaths among older adults. The Remembering When program has been implemented in communities throughout North American since 1999, reaching thousands of older adults.  For more information about Remembering When, visit www.nfpa.org/rememberingwhen.

NFPA has been a worldwide leader in providing fire, electrical, building, and life safety to the public since 1896. The mission of the international nonprofit organization is to reduce the worldwide burden of fire and other hazards on the quality of life by providing and advocating consensus codes and standards, research, training, and education. Visit NFPA’s Web site at www.nfpa.org.