GOFSEA

Because many of the members either couldn’t get to work due to the weather conditions — or they are obligated to their agencies as a result of such conditions — we’re cancelling the meeting for today.

Please check your calendars for next Wednesday, 21 February.  We will attempt to hold the meeting then.

If the snow doesn’t lock us down at our agencies, the GOFSEA meeting scheduled for Wednesday, 14 February will be held STARTING at 1:30 p.m. at the Miami Valley Hospital Burn Conference room, 3 NW.

Park in the Apple Street garage and come across the skywalk to the hospital. Turn to your right once inside the door and take the elevator to 3rd floor. Follow the signs to the burn unit.

This meeting will proceed the Miami Valley Firefighters Regional Burn Association meeting. It is possible the two meetings will merge. If you can only stay for the GOFSEA meeting, that is fine.

We will discuss some current and future projects, plans, and ideas for GOFSEA in 2007.

REMEMBER: This meeting starts an HOUR LATER than usual and will be held at MIAMI VALLEY HOSPITAL.

Thanks!
Rich

P.S. Check your email (if you are subscribed to the GOFSEA Google group) and the GOFSEA web site for updates relating to weather cancellations if needed.

I was scheduled to attend the conference noted in this email that I received, but was unable to go. However, I’m glad to have received the information from this vendor. I will state NO opinion on this until after people have a chance to see the info and discuss. I am curious to hear your thoughts, however. Please respond via the comment option here — or use the Google Groups email address: gofsea@googlegroups.com.

Here is the email message. I have posted two of their recommended videos here, as well.

It was our pleasure meeting you at the All-Ways Fire Safe at Home Conference: Best Practices in Fire and Life Safety Education in Washington DC. We were pleased to share and introduce our Safe-T-elementâ„¢ cooking technology that is engineered to help prevent cooking fires from happening in the first place.

As most of you know, Safe-T-element™ was a recipient of a Product Innovation Award for Consumer Safety from the Home Safety Council. In case you didn’t see this product in action at the Conference please click on the following link for a full demonstration. (use player links at the bottom of this post to see the video)

We are committed to working with you to help reduce cooking-related fire statistics in your high-risk areas. Please feel free to pass this information on to those who are vulnerable and do not hesitate to contact us so that we may assist with your programs in reaching those who are at risk. Together we can help eliminate these needless tragedies from happening in the first place.

I have attached some articles for you to review. You may have a publication or contact that you think would benefit from one of these. Perhaps the article may serve to impact your losses so feel free to submit or reproduce these and you may use Earl Diment as a contact.

For more information and to print out some collateral and information specific to the product please visit www.safetelement.com. We look forward to discussing Safe-T-elementâ„¢ with you. Thank you for reviewing the enclosed.

Yours Truly,
Laird

Laird Comber
Director, Sales
Pioneering Technology Inc.
Tel: 905-712-2061 X 230
Fax: 905-712-3833
E-mail: lcomber@pioneeringtech.com

Due to several persons not able to attend the January 10 meeting, the GOFSEA President (Chuck Arnold) has asked that the meeting be postponed.

Please check your email or RSS subscription for information on the rechedule date. The meeting will be held via telephone conference call. We would like to test some new technologies to find out if they are usable for GOFSEA activities. This may give us wider reach, more productivity, and of course better opportunities to meet the GOFSEA mission statement.

Remember, this site and the Google email list are two ways to always find out what is happening in fire and life safety. They don’t work, however, without your participation and input.

We have a great way to communicate with each other? Did you forget? Have you been too busy?  Do you not have anything to share, ask, or discuss about fire and life safety education? Hmmm.

Here’s the link to the original post  that gives more information.

Please disregard the previous post for the Burn Foundation meeting.  This was posted on the wrong web site!  This is what happens when one manages too many sites, I suppose. 

The December GOFSEA meeting will be held as scheduled.  Wednesday, 13 December, 2006 at 11:30 a.m. at Ronald McDonald House, Dayton.

Here is an article that I wrote for our newsletter as commentary about recent reporting on a neighboring fire department’s response times. I think it important that we put things in persective should we be approached with the same questions and criticisms. We can look at things on an administrative level and talk about how much we do right — or we can be reactive and defensive. Or… we can prepare ahead and show that we are only one part of the puzzle. The community still has a responsibility to protect themselves.

Thanks!
Rich

ARE YOU PREPARED TO PROTECT YOURSELF?I watched with interest the story a local reporter covered about fire department response times in a neighboring community.

I observed that she pointed out that five minute response times are unacceptable and that three fire deaths were used as baselines for this opinion.

As a fire safety educator I find it unfortunate that the community is still being led down a path that the fire service can save ALL lives if they just get to the fire faster. This is simply the wrong approach to be propagating. True, some lives can be saved, but the fire department can only respond to the fire once they have been called.

Here’s my approach to this situation — and it has nothing to do with a “volunteer vs. career staff” comparison:

Most fire deaths are preventable — before fire department intervention is even needed.

When a fire starts in a home it begins to produce smoke. This smoke is full of noxious gases and vapors that begin to fill the room of origin. Carbon monoxide and cyanide gas begin to spread throughout the room and beyond if doors are not shut. Smoke alarms may or may not be in place and they may or may not be working. When a family has not prepared themselves (through practice) to truly know how to respond to the sound of a smoke alarm it is possible that they will not react properly.

Most fire deaths happen within just a few minutes from the start of the fire. Statistics show that the flames rarely kill the persons in question. The smoke is the killer. Persons that do not know to get out immediately will often perish. Persons that delay calling the fire department from outside their home as soon as possible are only contributing to the spread of smoke and flame. They are themselves delaying the help that could and should be enroute. Persons that have not prepared their escape before fires actually happen are going to delay getting the help they need.

Time and time again we hear of people that have perished after going back in to a burning structure to save their family members. If they and other family members had a plan in advance they would likely be escaping or at least protecting themselves while calling for help.

Fire departments can only come when they are called. Many fires that killed were burning and creating hazardous conditions long before the phone ever rang. Often persons that die in home fires died long before the fire department was notified. Fire department response times are very important, yes, but rarely do fire departments get a call the very second a fire happens.

As stated before — most fire deaths are preventable. It is every persons’ responsibility to prevent fires through good housekeeping practices, proper use of materials and equipment, frequent inspections of devices and environments where fires often happen, and proper storage of hazardous materials.

Smoke alarms do NOT have the capability of physically saving lives. They cannot jump down off the ceiling and pull you from a burning home. So, do you know how to properly respond when your smoke alarm activates? Have you taken the steps necessary to prepare yourself and family in the event of a fire in your home? Knowing what to do is not the same as actually being able to do it. Through preparation and practice you and your entire family can become better prepared to get out of a house fire. Why wait for someone else to save your life when the emergency happens? Prevent the emergency in the first place — and at the very least, prepare yourself to do the right thing before it happens.

Remember, fire departments only come to fight fires because they have happened. And, they only come when they are called. How long was the fire burning before they ever heard a telephone ring? Is it possible you could be dead before the call was ever placed?

We now have a Google email user group to help us stay connected. Use this to communicate outside of normal meetings, when you have questions about fire and life safety education, when you want to share or discuss a hot topic, or when you want to contribute in any way to help other safety educators.

The site link is groups.google.com/group/gofsea

This is a closed group. If you are not already a member of the group (you would have received an email), please email gofsea@googlegroups.com to request membership or use this form.

	Subscribe to gofsea
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	Browse Archives at groups.google.com

The November 8 GOFSEA meeting WILL be held at 12:30 p.m. at the Ronald McDonald House in Dayton. Please see the meeting information using the link in the right hand section of this web site.

The September 13 GOFSEA meeting WILL be held at 12:30 p.m. at the Ronald McDonald House in Dayton.  Please see the meeting information using the link in the right hand section of this web site.