NFPA Journal - November/December 2017 - 22
Outreach by Lorriane Carli
ADVOCACY,
LEGISLATION
AND PUBLIC
EDUCATION
Moving Safety Forward
A LOOK BACK AT THREE DECADES OF PROGRESS IN PUBLIC EDUCATION-
AND A REMINDER OF THE CHALLENGES WE CONTINUE TO FACE
s head of NFPA's public
a team of regional public education speeducation efforts for more
cialists that visits fire departments across
than three decades, Judy
the country to help them use NFPA mateComoletti has witnessed
rials to develop local programs that best
and overseen a lot of great
meet the needs of their communities.
progress. In 1981, the year she started
Under Judy's direction, NFPA has grown
working at NFPA, there were more than
and honed its annual Fire Prevention
700,000 home structure fires in the United
Week activities for fire safety educators
States, which resulted in 5,400 fire deaths.
and classroom teachers, and has fostered
By 2015, the most recent statistical year,
a network of fire service public educathe number of home structure fires had
tors from across the country. We have
fallen to about 365,000, resulting in 2,560
brought Sparky the Firedog to more
deaths. While many factors are credited
people in more ways than ever before,
With the number
with that huge drop, public education has
and have grown and strengthened proof fires down, the
been a key driver.
grams like NFPA's "Learn Not to Burn,"
Judy retired at the end of August after
which teaches children fire safety, as well
public pays less
more than 36 years at NFPA. Before she
as "Remembering When," which educates
attention to fire
left, I chatted with her about how public
seniors and the elderly on fire safety.
safety today than
safety education has improved over that
Despite this progress, the job of public
it did in the 1980s,
time and what challenges still lie ahead.
education
is not done. In fact, we need
and apathy is a
Perhaps the biggest change, she told
to
work
harder.
New construction methconcern. We struggle
me, has been the evolution of safety
ods and modern home furnishings have
to break through the
messaging, especially how fire safety
resulted in home fires that are more daninformation clutter.
education is delivered to the public.
gerous and burn faster today than at any
Judy recalled making brochures in the
point in history. Most home fire deaths
1980s by physically cutting out images
today still occur in residences with no
and pasting them onto paper, which she
working smoke alarms. With the number
then copied and mailed to fire departof fires down, the public pays less attenments. Fire departments were the main deliverer of fire safety tion to fire safety today than it did in the 1980s and apathy
messages back then, but there was really no way to know if is a concern. With the huge amount of information people in
the departments were actually using the material Judy sent. our society are bombarded with on a daily basis, we struggle
Today, digital platforms give the public and fire departments all to break through the clutter.
over the world direct and instant access to NFPA's information.
While we continue and as we double down on these efforts,
There are Sparky apps geared toward children that have been we will miss Judy. She has made a tremendous personal condownloaded hundreds of thousands of times by teachers, par- tribution to public education, moving safety forward through
ents, and children. Our social media platforms bring important her tireless devotion to overseeing the development of the
messaging instantly to the public. We are also able to track how right messages, her creative and collaborative approach to
many people see and use these messages. It's a far cry from developing new and innovative initiatives, and her steadfast
mailing out homemade flyers.
insistence on quality. NFPA was fortunate to have had Judy
Another positive change over the last three decades has been for so long.
a dramatic increase in the number of resources NFPA has available to educate communities about fire safety. We now have LORRAINE CARLI is vice president of outreach and advocacy for NFPA.
22 | NFPA JOURNAL * N O V E M B E R / D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 7
MICHAEL HOEWELER
A
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of NFPA Journal - November/December 2017
Contents
NFPA Journal - November/December 2017 - Cover1
NFPA Journal - November/December 2017 - Cover2
NFPA Journal - November/December 2017 - 1
NFPA Journal - November/December 2017 - Contents
NFPA Journal - November/December 2017 - 3
NFPA Journal - November/December 2017 - 4
NFPA Journal - November/December 2017 - 5
NFPA Journal - November/December 2017 - 6
NFPA Journal - November/December 2017 - 7
NFPA Journal - November/December 2017 - 8
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NFPA Journal - November/December 2017 - Cover3
NFPA Journal - November/December 2017 - Cover4
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