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Proposed Project

Evaluation and Assessment of the Effectiveness of Activities Supporting Fire Prevention and Safety—New—The National Center for Injury Prevention and Control (NCIPC), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Background and Brief Description

This project will evaluate the effectiveness of fire safety and prevention education for second grade children and identify program components that contribute to successful outcomes. The fire safety prevention education programs are delivered by fire department personnel and funded by the United States Fire Administration's (USFA) Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program (AFGP). Deaths from fires and burns are the sixth most common cause of unintentional injury-related deaths in the United States with over three fourths of fire-related deaths and three fourths of fire-related injuries the result of house fires. Children are particularly at high risk for injury with residential fire deaths rates approximately two times that of adult age groups. The prevention programs that are funded by AFGP provide local fire departments with resources to conduct fire safety education for elementary school children. None of these programs has been systematically evaluated to determine impact on fire safety knowledge, skills, and behaviors. The proposed project does not assume a direct link from knowledge, skills, and behaviors to reductions in fire death rates; however, these intermediate outcomes may predispose and enable children to protect themselves from fire-related injury.

Children's knowledge, skills, and behaviors will be studied as a function of time (pre-, immediate post-, and 6 month post-intervention), geographic setting (urban, rural, and suburban) and instructional format (classroom, safety trailer, and classroom + safety trailer). The design used in this study is a 3 × 4 factorial design with repeated measures. A survey will be used to assess children's fire safety knowledge, skills, and behaviors. Information will be also collected from the children's parents on fire safety activities within the home.

Teachers, school administrators, and the fire fighters delivering the program will complete surveys to gather information on messages delivered, props used, and possible additional exposures to fire safety education. Information will also be collected regarding the school and fire department personnel's perceptions about program sustainability and the relationship between the fire department and school. The only cost to the respondents is the time involved to complete the survey. The estimated total burden hours are 3276.

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