Looking Beyond
Fire Deaths & Property Loss
It is bigger than that…
The Phoenix Society
Burn Injuries
• 450,000 receive medical treatment
• 83,300 are under the age of 14
• 40,000 require hospitalization
• 25,000 are admitted to a burn center
The Phoenix Society
Residential Home Fires
•
2,380 civilian fire deaths
•
12,875 civilian fire injuries
•
$7 billion in direct damage
•
85 percent of all civilian fire deaths in 2010 resulted
from home structure fires
•
Average - 7 people a day die in U.S. home fires
(NFPA 2012)
The Phoenix Society
Burn Care
• Specialized Teams
• Some of the Sickest
Patients
• Long & Costly Recovery
Physical and Emotional Scars
as Well as Functional Disabilities
Impacts the Whole Family
and the Community
The Full Impact of Burn Injury
Is Just Now Being Identified
Phoenix Society for Burn Survivors
Mission: empower those impacted by a burn
injury through peer support, education and
advocacy.
Helping survivors meet
their challenges with
the community support
and tools they need to
thrive again…
Why Fire Sprinkler Advocacy
The Phoenix Society
Advocacy Is A TEAM Sport
Common Questions
• Is it exploiting the survivor to ask for them to
share their story to support this prevention
issue?
• I received a call to support a fire safety bill in
our state legislation what do I do?
• How can I be ready to respond quickly?
Efforts spearheaded by survivors have been
central to some of the major injury prevention
successes in our country
Concrete Stories Are
Memory Hooks
Presentation Training
Dr. Moore
Survivor Advocates
• Risk perception is increased when identifiable
verses statistical victims are associated with
hazards (Covello, McCallum & Pavlova)
• It is not unusual for survivors to turn to
prevention as one way of channeling grief
Survivor Stories or Advocates
• Humanize a prevention
or policy issue
• Puts a face on the
statistics to those in
position to make
change
• Personal and passionate
belief in prevention
How You Represent the Burn
Community Is Important
Survivor Advocates
Pros Come With Caution
• Providing emotional
safety and support of
advocates
• Assessing potential
advocates readiness
• Time investment of
prevention specialist
(gain trust, provide
emotional safety and
educate on issues)
• Delivering the wrong message… (or anyone for
that matter)
• Working in isolation
• Delivering a message that reflects negatively
on the burn survivor community
Advocacy Program
Levels of Engagement
Rob’s Message
Rob Making A Difference