Category:
Winner or Honorable Mention:
Title of the Project:
City:
Population:
Name:
Title:
Phone:
1,500 to 4,999 Population
Public Education
City of Snoqualmie
2,500
Michael H. Bailey
Director of Public Education
(425) 888-1551
Public Education Program Summary
Snoqualmie Department of Public Safety, Fire Division
The entry I would like to submit for the 2000 Municipal Achievement award is the
Public Education Program that was created by the City of Snoqualmie, Department of
Public Safety, Fire Division. Although the individual components of the program are not
noteworthy by themselves, the overall Public Education Program is what deserves
consideration. More specifically, the timeline in which the program was created is
remarkable. All the programs were developed and implemented within the first year of
operation of the division.
Before describing the individual components of the program, a brief history is
warranted. In January of 1999, the City of Snoqualmie decided to take over the delivery
of Fire Protection services. Previously, fire service was provided, through contract, by a
neighboring fire district. Before the Fire Division was formed, there was very little to no
public education being provided in the city. One of the initial goals of the Fire Division
was to be an intricate part of the community. Therefore, public education was given a
high priority. The goal was to increase public safety through education and awareness.
Starting from scratch with limited resources, the department was able to create, within a
year, a quality Public Education Program.
Before describing how the program operates and how it benefits the City of
Snoqualmie, the individual components of the program need to be defined. Currently we
have established and delivered eight (8) programs and events.
1.
Citizen Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation - 3 -hour course taught to
American standards. Topics covered include adult/child/infant CPR,
Foreign body obstructions, and risk factors of heart disease. Class is
offered free to the public.
2.
Medic First Aid - 6 hour, OSHA approved, course in basic first aid.
Classes are taught using video segments, lecture, and hands on practice.
Topics covered include scene assessment, rescue breathing, CPR,
foreign body obstruction, control of bleeding, shock management, and
illness and injury assessment. A nominal fee of $30 is assessed to help
pay for instructors and materials.
3.
Fire Extinguisher Safety and Usage - 2-hour course is designed to
teach citizens how to use portable fire extinguishers effectively and safely.
Instruction consists of a lecture and actual fire extinguisher usage. Class
is offered free to groups and businesses.
4.
NFPA Great Escape Program - A nationally developed program
designed for school children, grades K through 3. Fire fighters go to
various schools in the community to deliver the program. It is designed to
teach the importance of developing and practicing a home escape plan.
Children are given prizes and awards for participating in the program.
5.
Home Safety Inspections - This program was developed to help citizens
make their home fire safe, and to check for areas that may cause personal
injury. Upon request, fire fighters will visit a citizen's home and perform a
fire and life safety inspection. Special attention is paid to smoke detectors,
fire hazards, escape routes, potential personal injury areas, and
emergency preparedness. Homeowners are given a checklist of items that
were inspected and recommendations on how to improve safety in their
home.
6.
Station Tours - the department will provide tours of the stations to anyone
who requests one. During the tour, fire fighters take the opportunity to
present fire safety information to the kids. Some of the topics covered are
stop drop and roll, playing with matches, and how to escape a fire.
7.
Pre School and Daycare Show and Tell - Fire fighters visit all of the preschools and daycare's within the City of Snoqualmie. Along with fire safety
information, the children are given the opportunity to sit inside the cab of
the fire engine and given demonstrations of the different equipment we
use.
8.
Public Safety Booth - the Department of Public Safety staffs an
information booth with a police officer and a fire fighter during an annual
community carnival and street fair. Citizens are given blood pressure
checks along with pamphlets and handouts covering various safety topics.
Citizens are also informed on the various programs we offer and given the
ability to sign up for the individual classes.
On duty personnel as well as dedicated volunteer staff provide the manpower
and instructors for the various programs. Classes are scheduled as requested by the
different groups and organizations. To date, the continuing cost for the various activities
has been minimal. There was an initial startup cost involved with buying supplies for the
CPR and First Aid classes. The City of Snoqualmie allocated $2,500 for the purchase of
manikins, training videos, and supplies to deliver the CPR and First Aid courses.
Another $ 1,000 was spent on handouts and pamphlets to be given during the
presentations and tours. The cost for the manpower to teach the program varies
depending on the activity. Instructors for the CPR courses are paid through the Medic II
Foundation out of Seattle, Washington. The foundation is a non- profit group whose
goal is to train the citizens of King County in CPR. Instructors and supplies for the First
Aid course is paid through the nominal fee charged to each participant. Other classes
and educational opportunities are presented by the on duty personnel or volunteers at
no charge.
The goal of the Public Education Program is to eventually become selfsupporting. Currently, the First Aid classes bring in revenue that is earmarked for
purchasing equipment and supplies that benefit the citizens of Snoqualmie, and for
continuation of these programs. Another future goal is to increase advertising and
participation in the Public Education classes.
The citizens of Snoqualmie have embraced the Public Education Program. Since
January of 1999, the department has taught 26 CPR classes to 519 people, 9 First Aid
classes to 104 people, 1 Fire Extinguisher class to 20 people, given 16 tours to 294
children, and has had 143 students participate in the "NFPA Great Escape" program.
We are continuing to develop more opportunities to deliver the message of fire
safety to our citizens. Currently we have two additional courses in development. The
first is community disaster preparedness. This course will be delivered at community
meetings to assist citizen in becoming self-sufficient for a minimum of 72 hours following
the occurrence of any disaster. The second is called "TIP's" which stands for Trauma
Intervention Program. This course will provide a one-week training session to citizens to
give them the tools necessary to help their neighbor in times of crisis.
With the continued promotion of public education and future program
development, we believe that we are rapidly becoming a valuable resource for the City
of Snoqualmie, and producing a safer community.