Excerpts of a commentary found at community.nfpa.org:

The Countryside Fire Prevention District has supported fire and life safety education since its 1959 inception. Its mission has helped instill this practice: “The district dedicates its activities to the preservation of human life and the conservation of property. To this end the district invests its personnel in the education of its public and the maintenance of a safe environment.”

To pursue that mission, Fire Chief Jeff Steingart created a full-time public education coordinator position with the fire prevention bureau in 2007. Hired by the district in 2000 as a firefighter/paramedic, Tony Rodkey filled the position and eventually increased staffing in the bureau. Among its accomplishments, Countryside has assisted many state-level activities which include teaching and hosting a public fire and life safety instructor course. At a time when departments were cutting prevention and inspection programs, Rodkey bolstered staffing. He believes emergency response should not be the first line of defense though it is the only option after prevention and education fail. Reducing risk via education to the community is paramount in saving lives and protecting property. Home fire sprinklers are an important part of this model.

Countryside has made it a point to bolster education on this technology. The district has had a long campaign in the villages and unincorporated areas to adopt residential fire sprinkler ordinances in all buildings, specifically new homes, townhouses, and condominiums. The district passed a residential sprinkler requirement in 2004. To help promote this technology, Countryside has showcased fire sprinkler demonstrations and fire behavior lessons to five middle schools for the last 10 years. To date, 11,000 students have received fire safety education as part of their science curriculum since the creation of the public education coordinator.

Tony Rodkey plans to complement these teachings by visiting each of the five schools this September and showcasing a fire sprinkler trailer. This mobile tool provides information on fire sprinklers, the fire triangle, fire behavior, and smoke alarms. By bringing the concept of fire sprinklers to school-aged children, the fire service is able to demystify this technology at an early age while promoting its importance.

thanks Dan

Tags: Countryside Fire Prevention District, Countryside Fire Protection District Chief Jeff Steingart, fire district promotes public education, Tony Rodkey