BY TOM KIURSKI
Years ago, I developed a fresh approach to the “Passport to Safety” originated by Marsha Giesler from the Downers Grove (IL) Fire Department. I took the idea, added some of my own touches, and helped to create a similar event that has been presented by Livonia (MI) Fire & Rescue for several years. Many others have contacted Giesler and told her how they also had tailored the event to their community (see “Passport to Safety: A Tale of Two Cities,” Fire Engineering, January 2003).
Because of budget cuts, however, we discontinued our program in Livonia. Although the concept was a great one, it remained dormant for a time. Now, sponsored by a much larger group, it has recently taken on new life and is a gem of safety education in our community.
PASSPORT RENEWED
The Livonia “Passport to Safety” was reborn in 2004. Our local police department, hospital, school system, public officials, and fire department asked a local shopping mall for assistance. The mall’s management was not only onboard but was also fired up about the event and provided funding, in-kind donations, and assistance beyond our wildest expectations.
Our newfound coalition had the task of getting out safety messages to community members of various ages in a walk-through fashion. I have been present at many safety fairs over the years and found that the turnout tends to be low and the information sporadic at best. This event had to be different, considering the success we had at our fire station Passport events in previous years. The target age would be elementary school children and their families.
Safety stations. In the 2004 event, we had eight information stations located throughout the mall, each focusing on a particular theme: fire safety, stranger danger, automobile safety, recreation safety (including skateboard, rollerblade, and bike safety), Internet safety, 911 use, and a safety patrol station featuring prominent figures once part of the community safety patrol. At the 2005 event, we replaced the Safety Patrol station with a Water Safety station, which we retained for the 2006 event.
Funding. Since materials had to be made, duplicated, or purchased, funding was an important consideration. We teamed each safety expert with a funding partner, who would be responsible for obtaining safety items and giveaway items that may be pertinent to the area. Safety partners were also asked to provide workers for the event; the workers could include business owners, employees, or family members.
We obtained additional volunteers to help stamp the passports at each station at our local senior citizens center.
Publicity. At our request, the local cable television station created some public service announcements (PSAs) about the event and ran them numerous times starting a month before the event. The local newspaper also ran a short announcement of the event. We took out large ads in the paper, which gave a discount because of the nature of the event. Signs were placed throughout the mall for the month before the event to make mall patrons not in our local cable or newspaper coverage area aware of the event. Flyers were sent out to all area elementary schools, public and private, to be sent home with each child.
Mascot. A familiar character was to appear at a stage in the center of the mall. Mall officials would welcome the “guest,” which would be available for photo opportunities. In 2004, our cable carrier arranged for Scooby-Doo to be the character celebrity. The DC Comics Batman appeared in 2005. Although it cost us a bit of money to schedule this character, its presence attracted a number of people who otherwise would not have been exposed to our safety messages.
It was a major learning experience when we read the lengthy contract we had to sign regarding the use of Batman. Stipulations included breaks, room configurations, water and juice and food we had to make available, and that his “assistant” approve all photos taken by the people in line. As an example, a request for a photo of Batman taken with an employee of a business that had its name displayed on a banner was denied because Batman would be in an “endorsement-like” setting. In 2006, SpongeBob SquarePants on was hand; photos were taken in a setting similar to his Bikini Bottom home.
Each learning station was marked with easy-to-spot overhead signs. Each table had a balloon bouquet. We discovered from numerous questions concerning the locations of other stations that a map would be useful. In the future, we may include on the floor footprints in colors that correspond with each station.
Setup. We set up the mall the night before, after the mall closed at 9 p.m., and at 7 a.m. the morning of the four-hour event, which began at 10 a.m. We used a vacant occupancy to store the items before setup time. The mall provided tables with covers at every learning station.
At the fire safety station, a firefighter discussed age-appropriate smoke alarm information with each group (photo 1). Since adults accompanied many of the children, we made a display of novelty lighters so the adults could see how closely many of them resembled toys.
 1. Photos by author. |
The children tested our smoke alarms and were encouraged to test theirs when they got home. A fun fire safety question-and-answer board was on the table for guests to try. Some questions were informational; others were just plain fun.
We set up a display of items gathered from a house fire; people are always amazed to see the destruction a fire can cause. A manikin in full turnout gear was on hand, and an SCBA unit was on display to stimulate discussion with the families (photo 2).
 2. |
At the Internet safety station, a laptop presented a program on what information is safe to make available on the Web. The exercise is designed to protect children from predators surfing the Internet (photo 3).
 3. |
After visiting our staffed information centers, the guests were directed to the partner side of the booth-in our case, our local Allstate insurance agent, who gave out coloring books and videos in a “litter” bag (photo 4).
 4. |
The guests could then exit the learning station or go around to try on some fire gear and get a plastic fire helmet (photo 5). A local photographer took photos of the children in gear for the families; the voluntary donations they made were given to our local burn center (2004) and to the American Red Cross Hurricane Katrina relief efforts (2005).
 5. |
LESSONS LEARNED
After each event a follow-up meeting was held a few weeks later to discuss items that could be improved. We decided to award our senior volunteers with a “thank you” mall gift certificate and discussed specific improvements for each learning station.
For our fire safety station, we would ask one of the mall stores to donate a manikin we could dress in full firefighting gear for the event. We also purchased some red rotating lights to help call attention to our station. A mini-television/VHS player presented the Allstate safety tape for people in line who had to wait to enter our learning station.
The event went very well the first year and was even bigger and better the second and third years. Although limited fire department funding had necessitated that we end this program previously held in the fire station, it was “reborn” as a much nicer event that had widespread community support. If your department has been staging fire station open houses, start asking around to see what interest your community has for this type of event. Your citizens will be glad you did!
TOM KIURSKI, a 25-year veteran of the fire service, has served Livonia (MI) Fire & Rescue for the past 20 years as a lieutenant, a paramedic, and the director of fire safety education. He is the author of Creating a Fire Safe Community: A Guide for Fire Safety Educators (Fire Engineering, 1999) and of at least 150 articles published in various publications, including fire service magazines. Kiurski has an associate’s degree in fire science, a bachelor’s degree in fire and safety engineering technology, and an MPA.
