The Oregon State Fire Marshal is rolling out an education program to provide fire safety professionals with the tools they need to deliver fire safety education to local Oregon communities. This train-the-trainer model is designed to reduce the leading causes of home structure fires โ including cooking, home heating, and electrical fires โ by relying on local fire agencies to perform community outreach across the state.
โWe set out to design a fun, interactive, and accurate training model that could be use in all Oregon communities,โ said Laura Chaffey, program coordinator for Oregon State Fire Marshalโs Fire Prevention Education Unit. โWe analyzed Oregon fire data and vulnerabilities, and established priorities based on the leading risk factors.โ
The roll-out of this program comes as the Oregon State Fire Marshal wraps up a pilot version of the training program. From March 2024 to March 2025, Oregon State Fire Marshal trained representatives from 24 local fire agencies. By completing the community risk reduction training, the local fire agencies receive free risk reduction kits that include hands-on tools and guidance to educate their communities about fire safety. Diana Holmes, the public education coordinator for the Lane Fire Authority in Veneta, used the risk reduction kits to teach fire safety to local youth.
“I presented electrical fire safety to a group of high school seniors, framing the topic as essential knowledge as they step into independent adulthood,โ said Holmes. โThis approach helped create a sense of empowerment and relevance for the students, who showed strong engagement throughout the session.โ Each risk reduction kit contains visuals, props, and a presenterโs guide, designed for various audiences, including adults, young adults, older youth, younger youth, and seniors. Props include mini cooking pans, casserole dishes, extension cords, chimney sweep tools, dish towels, oven mitts, throw rugs, and power strips.
Justin Guinan, deputy fire marshal for the City of Salem Fire Department, used the risk reduction kits to reach more than 75 community members so far. โI did the cooking safety lesson for a community of older adults, and they loved the props,โ said Guinan. โThey thought that it was creative and worth their time. They learned new information and even invited me back for another presentation!โ
Oregon State Fire Marshalโs Fire Prevention Education Unit will be delivering nine risk reduction training sessions during the summer of 2025. โWe do encourage all fire departments to take advantage of this new presentation tool,โ said Chaffey. โWe are here to help reduce injury and loss due to fire, and this is a fun way to build community interaction and awareness.โ
The OSFM risk reduction kit is a brand-new resource designed to help you teach fire safety in your community.
- WHOโS ELIGIBLE? All Oregon fire agencies with an FDID or DCIN.
- HOW TO GET YOURS To receive a kit, agencies must attend a mandatory three hour, in-person regional training. These trainings will ensure you know exactly how to use your kit effectively in your community.
- TRAINING LOCATIONS & SIGN-UP Spots are open for up to 30 agencies per regional training session (unlimited spots at OSFM HQ in Salem).
