October 9, 2008 - Fire Chief to Announce Task Force Recommendations at MLK Community Meeting Tonight

Will review and make recommendations for increased Fire Prevention

On August 11^th Shreveport Fire Chief Brian Crawford initiated the Shreveport Fire Safety Task Force to review and make recommendations for increased fire prevention efforts in the wake of the city’s fifth fire death of the year after going over two years with no fire deaths. Chief Crawford will announce those recommendations from the Task Force at tonight’s Martin Luther King Community Development Group meeting. The logistics of that meeting are as follows:

Event: MLK Community Development Group Meeting – announce Fire Safety Task Force recommendations

Where: 1625 David Rains (attached to Willis Knighton Medical Clinic)

When: Thursday, October 9^th, 7:00 p.m.

“It is more than appropriate that the announcement of these recommendations from the Task Force, that was comprised of fire department officials, community interest and business leaders, and elected official, take place at a meeting in a neighborhood where fire has plagued it’s infrastructure and injured and taken lives of its residence,” said Fire Chief Brian Crawford. Following on the next page are a list of those recommendations:

SHREVEPORT FIRE DEPARTMENT
Fire Safety Task ForceRecommendations

• Develop more specific programs to reduce fire deaths in our target groups of the elderly and the children

• Suggest ordinances that would enact minimal standard codes and livability codes. Also pursue legislation or ordinances that would provide tax incentives for home sprinkler systems

• Produce a list of groups that the Fire Department can partner with in support in their prevention efforts

• Expand collaboration with organizations that are utilized by the high risk groups through neighborhood association, churches, beauticians and barbers as well as grocery stores as distribution points for educational literature and prevention message

• The 10-10-10 program:

- Purchasing 10-year tamperproof, lithium battery powered smoke alarms,
- Install in 10,000 Shreveport high risk neighborhood homes and,
- Complete program by year 2010

• Find additional ways for our elected officials to participate

• Conduct community fire education survey to acquire data from residents in identified high risk areas to tailor prevention programs

• Utilize all media forms, TV, radio, print to present continuous public safety announcements to reinforce message. Create commercials and utilize billboards about prevention with familiar faces by utilizing incoming celebrities from movie industry

• Secure funding through traditional as well as alternative revenue sources, such as community block grants to expand current and future prevention efforts

• Kick off Fire Prevention Month with an evening practice of home evacuation plans throughout the city

• Get people to start being good neighbors. Neighbors depending on neighbors is a great tradition in the South and needs to be reinforced to keep lookout for children and elderly safety

• Develop more prevention programs for seniors. Partner with programs and groups such as Meals on Wheels and the Caddo Counsel on the Aging while utilizing available facilities, such as the SPAR buildings, to reach seniors and those with disabilities.

• Do prevention mass mailings through DOWAS or SWEPCO billing systems

• Develop program to involve Firefighters in distribution of information in less traditional ways, such as handing out prevention information at intersections and going door-to-door enforcing Smoke Detector Giveaway Program

• Special family prevention events, such as a Bingo Hall night, sponsored by Fire Department

• Fire Department partner with community leaders to establish a separate 501(c) (3) non-profit organization for donation purposes

• Include quality of life issues, such as code enforcement to overall fire prevention efforts

• Develop DVD or TV program format that shows real life reenactments of what to do in a residential fire situations