Supported by Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention
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What is Community Risk Reduction
(CRR)?
CRR is an approach that helps you:
 Identify fire and life safety
 Prioritize those risks
 Determine how to prevent
risks
or mitigate
risks
 Focus your efforts
 Become more of a community player
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 Integrated
reduction
community risk
◦ Coordinates emergency operations with
prevention and mitigation efforts –
community wide and at the station level
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Involve Community Partners in all
Steps
Public Health
Faith-based Organizations
CERT Organizers
Neighborhood Associations
Senior Services
Local Businesses
Community Advocates
Utility Companies
Social Services
Police
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Why do we need CRR?

City and fire budgets declining

New and emerging hazards present

Changing community demographics



High risk residents remain underserved
Improve Firefighter safety & occupational health
San Jose, Detroit, other examples……
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CRR is not a new concept
 UK, NZ, AU, CA have been doing CRR
for several years with much success.
 CRR has also been done in the US –
although sporadically and on a much
smaller scale.
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6 Steps of the CRR Approach
Identify Risks
Monitor, Evaluate
and Modify Plan
Prioritize Risks
Implement the CRR
Plan
Develop Strategies &
Tactics to Mitigate
Risks
Prepare the CRR Plan
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Risk
Loss
Prevention
Mitigation
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Prevention or Mitigation?
A resident living in an area
at high risk for wildfires
eliminates vegetation close by
their home.
Mitigation
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How do you know your top
risks?
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Characteristics of Home Fire
Death Risk in the USA
A
S
S
U
M
P
T
I
O
N
S
•Poverty
•Education
•Smoking
•Rural (population density)
Source: U.S. Unintentional Fire Death Rates by State, Sept. 2007,
National Fire Protection Association
Characteristics of Home Fire
Death Risk in the USA
A
S
S
U
M
P
T
I
O
N
S
•Very young children
•Older adults
•People with disabilities
•People who live in poverty
Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Cumulative Disadvantage
Theory
A
S
S
U
M
P
T
I
O
N
S
“…the presence of one risk
factor magnifies the risk
linked with a second factor...”
A way to analyze the impact
of multi-factors
Statewide Fire Death Risk
Assessment – 15 Counties
4 Risks &
Coal
Fire Deaths
Johnston
Pushmataha
Choctaw
Harmon
Haskell
Hughes
Adair
2 Risks &
Atoka Fire Deaths
Caddo
Sequoyah
Latimer
McCurtain
Okfusgee
Tillman
3 Risks &
Fire Deaths
What are some common risks in your area?








Residential fires
Wildland fires
Falls
Drownings
Poisonings
Bicycle & skateboard incidents
Hazardous material incidents
Motor vehicle incidents
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Know common risks from:




Fire/EMS call data
Fire/EMS incident report data
Dispatch operators’ experience
Firefighters’ experience
Keep in mind, even stations near each
other can face different top risks.
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Learn more about each risk –
ask:
 Why is each risk occurring?
 Who is it affecting?
 When is it occurring?
 Where is it occurring?
Answering these questions will help you
brainstorm the best strategies to reduce each
risk for your area.
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Risk Assessment: Simple or
Sophisticated
Philadelphia Example
 Each Engine/Ladder company chose
one High Risk Area (of 1 block)
 Risk areas were determined by the
company’s recent fire experience
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Wilmington, NC Example
 Residential and home fire incident data
were highlighted in GIS mapping to show
“hot” spots
 Central administration identified stations
serving those “hot spots”
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CRR –Risks
Fire Stations
serving
UNCW*
#4 #8
Risks may vary
based on housing/
demographic data
* UNCW = University of North Carolina - Wilmington
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Collect demographic data for area
http://factfinder2.census.gov/
American FactFinder
City/town,
County, or zip
State
- - select a state - -
GO
Or select a state using a map
Search by City, County, or Zip Code
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Demographic data helps you:
Learn more about who lives in the
area with high incidence of Fires/EMS
Focus efforts more efficiently and
effectively
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Remember potential risks
areas
Consider the need to focus on areas
where probability is low but
consequence is great such as:




Ports
Hospitals
Schools
Theaters
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Other Sources of Info/Data:
 City Chambers of Commerce
 City/County/State Departments
 Not-for-profit organizations
 Private business/industry
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Overall - Prioritizing Risk



Think about probability and potential
consequences, prioritize risks
Solicit input from firefighters,
inspectors, investigators, community
partners
In the end – you must make the hard
decision of what risk(s) to focus on
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When brainstorming, assessing
and selecting strategies:

Involve a variety of personnel





Station personnel
Department staff
Community organizations
Local agencies
Balance complex demands and make
hard choices about what to pursue
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5 Types of
Prevention/Mitigation Strategies
What are the 5 E’s?
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5 Types of Prevention/Mitigation
Five E’s
Emergency
Response
Education
Engineering
Enforcement
Economic
Incentive
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Multiple
E
Strategies
Can you think of strategies to
reduce
or mitigate fire risk that would fall
under
more than one E category?
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Example of a Multiple E
Strategy:
Seat Belts – all automobiles
What E strategies do seat belts represent?
Education?
Engineering?
Enforcement?
Emergency Response?
Economic Incentives?
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Another Example- Multiple
E’s
Home safety visits
What E strategies are used in “home
visits”?
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CRR Ideas - Beyond the Home
Visit




Pre-plans for all commercial structures
Community Paramedicine
Self-inspection program for businesses
Commercial Alarm Iniative
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CRR Ideas - Beyond the Home
Visit
 Anything that helps to manage call volume
– concurrently improves public and firefighter
safety
Positive Public Relations Values
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Identify Risks
Monitor, Evaluate
and Modify Plan
Prioritize Risks
Implement the CRR
Plan
Develop Strategies
& Tactics to
Mitigate Risks
Prepare the CRR
Plan
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What helps make a program
successful?
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Common Elements of Successful
Programs:







Makes sense and is feasible
Management at all levels support the effort
Adequate resources allocated
Project Manager assigned
Clear expectations
Program is monitored and adjusted as needed
Good performance is recognized/rewarded
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How do you go about
implementing a program?
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Implementation Steps
Make
adjustments as
needed
Monitor
progress
Communicate
goals &
expectations
Identify &
allocate needed
resources
Prepare a
timeline with
milestones
Assign
responsibilities
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More than one way:
 Fire Department Centered (Wilmington, NC)
 Community Partner Centered (Tucson, AZ)
 A Combination Approach - fire department
&
community partners (Dallas, TX)
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It can be quick & focused…
Example: Philadelphia’s Operation Staying Alive






Installed 7000 alarms in one month
Involved every company
Each station identified own risk areas based on experience
Firefighters conducted home visits in teams of 2
Prevention staff collected forms & entered data weekly
Reported progress weekly to the Commissioner, Deputy
Chief, and Battalion Chiefs
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Or rely more heavily on a partner…
Example: Tucson, AZ fire

Done with Sonoran Environmental Research
Institute (SERI) – already doing home safety
visits

Minimal fire department
involvement/supervision

Focus on behavior change – not just alarms

Getting into homes fire department could not
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Identify Risks
Monitor, Evaluate
and Modify Plan
Prioritize Risks
Implement the CRR
Plan
Develop Strategies &
Tactics to Mitigate
Risks
Prepare the CRR Plan
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Number of visits
 Pre/post surveys
 Loss trends over time
 Workload indicators (how many of
X)
 Others?

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
Current Status/Activity
◦ Advocacy Tools produced

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
Tutorial
Impact Videos
Downloadable Resources
Online at www.strategicfire.org
You are keenly aware of
the fire problem in your
community.
Decision makers and the public need to
understand the problem and the benefits of
investing in prevention.

Salter/Mitchell Marketing Research
◦ National Theme
◦ Smoke Alarms
◦ Kitchen Safety
No perceived benefits of prevention
“There are definitely a lot more pressing things going on a daily
basis for me than worrying about smoke alarms. There are so darn
many things to remember to do in a day, and I think that the
alarms get kicked to the back burner.”
Example Benefit
Comparison
Result
Consequence/Benefit
Behavior
IGNORE ALARMS
CHECK ALARMS
Specific reward tied to
accomplishments
No emotional
reward/payoff
Tangible consequences/
accomplishments
No tangible result (just
make something already
unlikely to happen even
less likely)
If ignore alarms, able to do
other things (check email,
play with kids, etc.)
If check alarms
◦ People aware fire safety is their responsibility
◦ Many think they are already doing enough
◦ Sense of belonging; strong tie to “live, love;” protecting
loved ones learned via intercept interviews
◦ 90% of high risk homes without ANY working smoke alarms
(e.g. Tucson, AZ) nationally need for 100 – 150 million
alarms (TriData)
http://www.usfa.fema.gov/prevention/outreach/fief
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Materials Generator Project
◦Online tool – customizing capability
◦Maintain common messages
◦Allow localization

Risk Guide

CRR Planning Guide (in progress)

Home Safety Visit Tools
HomeSafetyVisit.org
How-To Guide

Focus on technologies that prevent kitchen (range
top) fires

Continue examining smoke alarm research

Eastern Kentucky University Report (fire
characteristics of varied range tops)
◦ UL; NIST; NFPA Research Foundation
Facilitating Individuals/Organizations: Dan Madrzykowski,
National Institute of Standards and Technology, Building and
Fire Research Laboratory, Mike Love, Montgomery County MD
retired; David Smith, Lake Oswego, OR
Other Resources
NFA 6-day Class – “Conducting Local
Risk
Reduction by Company Officers”
This class is designed to guide company officers through
the
development of a risk reduction plan for their service area
http://apps.usfa.fema.gov/nfacourses/catalog/details/10501
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www.strategicfire.org