NFPA program attended by NK Fire-Rescue, social services

New Kent County Fire-Rescue and department of social services participated in a training conference on fire and fall prevention sponsored by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA).

The conference, entitled “Remembering WhenTM: A Fire and Fall Prevention Program for Older Adults”, was held December 1-3, in Boston, Mass.

Teams were composed of one member of the fire department partnered with an individual from an agency within the community that serves older adults through home visits. New Kent County Fire-Rescue’s Justin Finan teamed with social services’ representative Nancy Goodman.

Each award covered training, materials, and travel expenses, and is valued at more than $4,000.

Following the conference New Kent Fire-Rescue conducted five group presentations and two train-the-trainer sessions for New Kent social services. Social services integrated materials from program into its outreach through home visits.

“Adults 65 years old and older are twice as likely to die in a home fire compared to the total population,” said Karen Berard-Reed, NFPA senior project manager. “Falls are the leading cause of death from injury for this age group.

“This program is a valuable tool to help fire and life safety educators reduce the risks of falls and fires among older adults in their communities,” she concluded.

The program has been implemented in communities throughout North America since 1999 to help thousands of older adults learn strategies to help them live safely at home for as long as possible.

NFPA recently completed a revised version of the program, which is available online. This year’s conference participants were the first to be trained with the updated version.

For more information about “Remembering When”, visit www.nfpa.org/rememberingwhen.