Teaching Injury Prevention in the time of Terror

By Chief Dennis Compton
September 2004

Three years ago this month our nation began its sudden and unrelenting conversion into a country obsessed with terror and the securing of our homeland.  When Al Qaeda extremists attacked us on our native soil on September 11th, they achieved more than just physical destruction.  They jolted our peace of mind as well.  

This month, we face anew the painful memories and often conflicting emotions this third anniversary of terror brings.  An important part is paying tribute to the brave first responders who put others’ needs ahead of their own on that awful day, just as first responders do every day.   

It is also important that we go on with our lives, as normally as possible, even in the face of new threats.  

As we remember those courageous men and women, the best tribute we can pay them is to not allow terror to make every decision for us.  And that includes our public safety work.   

This isn’t easy.  Following 9/11, already financially strapped fire departments, public health agencies and others involved in protecting the public were dealt yet another fiscal blow when federal and state monies got reallocated to homeland security.  For many fire departments in the U.S., especially in large urban areas, the concentration of resources is now heavily committed to bio- and chemical hazards and other disaster preparedness, leaving fewer funds than ever for public education.   

And even though the actual risk of suffering a terrorist-related injury is far less for the average citizen than suffering an unintentional injury, the harsh memories of September 11th have had a lasting effect.  According to a recent Associated Press poll*, two-thirds of Americans fear terrorists will strike the U.S. again before the elections this fall.  

What that means for public safety advocates, particularly the fire service, is that the fear of terrorism has changed the playing field.  Not only do you have fewer resources to use in your community injury prevention outreach, you also have less attention from your public.  

How can we teach injury prevention in a time of terror?

The community fire station is a logical and effective place to re-focus attention on the very real, very likely risk of unintentional home injuries.   

Fire departments are the glue that helps hold our nation together, especially in times of fear and anxiety.  An instantly recognizable safe haven, fire stations are in every neighborhood.  Firefighters are known caretakers of the people and property in the neighborhood.  When someone needs help, the fire station is the place to go.  

Fire service personnel connect with and influence the local people they serve.  As we continue to expand our role beyond fire and EMS to include disaster response, we must not abandon our role in helping prevent injuries from occurring in the first place, through awareness and education.  

And we must not stop at fire.  All-injury prevention is a crucial component of our work.  According to the State of Home Safety in America Report, unintentional injuries are the leading cause of death for people from age 1 to 44.  On average, more than 91,000 people die each year from unintentional injury – 20 percent of them in the home.  

Reaching the public with home injury prevention messages when all eyes are on homeland security can be achieved.   We should follow sound leadership in all safety educational endeavors, regardless of the external environment at the time. The most important strategy we can employ is to always treat people with respect and show them compassion.  

What drives successful community involvement programs is simple.  Every contact with the people in your community must be viewed as a moment of truth – an opportunity to serve, to show that you care, to deliver your message, and to listen to the needs and perspectives of your audience.  The only real limitation to defining these opportunities is the limit of your imagination.  Are you ready?  Ask yourself:  

• Is your department integrated within your neighborhood?
• Are you/your personnel perceived as sharing community concerns?
• Have you identified the challenges to teaching home injury prevention?
• Have you identified the stakeholders with whom you’ll work?
• Have you developed alternative solutions or approaches?  

These are some of the things you can do to successfully push an unintentional home injury prevention agenda in your community, even as you fulfill your obligations to provide homeland security.   

The first step in securing our homeland is to ensure that our citizens are healthy and injury-free on a daily basis.  You and your department play a leading role in that, and the local fire station is front and center on the community stage.   

Local Action Item

Provide a realistic context for teaching home injury prevention. Help your public understand perceived risk vs. real risk by putting terrorism in perspective. For example, in 2001 the odds of dying in an air transport incident were 1 in 310,560.**

Debunking safety myths is also beneficial. Use current information to help your audience separate fact from fiction and make sound decisions about their own safety – for example: accidental discharge of a home fire sprinkler system is very rare (fact); all fire sprinklers go off at once in response to a fire (fiction).  

Provide useful and effective teaching tools to help people make smarter, safer choices that will prevent injuries.  You don’t need scare tactics to get their attention; you need easily understood advice and instruction, such as is found in the Home Safety Council’s SAFETY GUIDE.  When armed with good advice, people will make good decisions.

As always, work in teams.  Local partnerships can help you bridge resource gaps.  There has never been a better time to build and nurture relationships in your community. 

  *April 5-7, 2004, http://www.ipsos-na.com/news/pressrelease.cfm?id=2165 **National Safety Council

Chief Dennis Compton
A 34-year veteran of the fire service, Dennis Compton was the Fire Chief in Mesa, AZ and Assistant Fire Chief in Phoenix, AZ. He now serves as an Executive Advisor within many fire service organizations, and is a leading author of books and training manuals. Chief Compton is recognized as a national expert on emergency response and public safety, and he serves on the Home Safety Council Board of Directors. Compton is also active with the International Fire Service Training Association (IFSTA) and the U.S. Congressional Fire Services Institute (CFSI), among other groups.