ICMA-RC Supports National Whistle Stop Tour to Promote Firefighter Safety

March 27, 2007

ICMA-RC is proud to sponsor the first, national, whistle-stop tour dedicated to promoting firefighter safety issues.

The tour, initiated by the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation, will cross the country beginning on April 5 with the goal of educating firefighters, citizens, and local and state government officials about the Everyone Goes Home™ Campaign – a national initiative aimed at highlighting firefighter safety and line-of-duty death prevention.

The month-long motor coach tour will kick off in San Francisco and stop at 20 other cities including Sacramento, Los Angeles, San Diego, Phoenix, Chicago, Nashville, Miami, Tampa, Atlanta, Charlotte, Philadelphia, New York, Hartford, Providence and Boston. Coach guests will include local political leaders and, survivors discussing the impact of firefighter line-of-duty death,

NFFF representatives, local and state officials, fire service leaders, and tour sponsors will be present at each of the events to host preparedness fairs, speak on firefighter safety issues, and present training demonstrations.

According to U.S. Fire Administration statistics, over 100 firefighter deaths occur each year. One of the primary goals of the Everyone Goes Home™ campaign is to reduce the number of line-of-duty deaths by 50 percent within 10 years.

The Fire Administration has said that it is possible to significantly reduce the number of firefighters killed each year, through research, study, training, improved operations, and development of new technologies.

As part of the Everyone Goes Home™ campaign, NFFF developed 16 Firefighter Life Safety Initiatives that will enable fire service leaders to better address firefighter safety issues. Life safety initiatives include advocating cultural changes to improve firefighter safety (#1); developing national standards for training and certification (#5) and thoroughly investigating fatalities and injuries (#9.)The tour is an effort to educate firefighters about these and other important life-saving solutions.

The campaign also seeks to build new and stronger alliances with individual fire departments across the US; encourage citizens and political leaders to become more mindful of line-of-duty injury and death issues and how they can help prevent them; and provide opportunities to show support and appreciation of firefighter efforts.

Additional Information about the America’s Fire Heroes Whistle Stop Tour is available at www.everyonegoeshome.com/whistlestop/.