Greenville City Fire Department Forms Community Risk Reduction Team

GREENVILLE, SC – Greenville City Fire Chief Steve Kovalcik has authorized the formation of a Community Risk Reduction Team (CRRT), which will be responsible for developing and conducting public education programs, youth fire setter intervention programs, post fire response programs and other efforts designed to prevent fires and other catastrophic events. The 20-member team will consist of a coordinator, an assistant coordinator and 18 fire suppression personnel (six per shift).

The Greenville City Fire Department (GCFD) actively promotes Fire is Everyone’s Fight™, a national effort led by the U.S. Fire Administration (USFA) to lower the number of home fires and home fire injuries in America, by sharing lifesaving information and equipment, and changing the way city residents think about fire and fire prevention. To date, the GCFD has conducted just under 20 smoke alarm blitzes across the city, and has installed more than 1,200 smoke alarms in homes that had too few or no working smoke alarms. “While every member of the GCFD is involved in our community risk reduction efforts, we realized that we needed a select group of passionate individuals to help coordinate and facilitate programs and projects,” said Community Risk Reduction Coordinator Will Broscious.

According to Broscious, S.C. has experienced a 35% increase in fire fatalities, and far too many people have been killed or injured in fires that could have been prevented by taking simple steps such as replacing smoke alarm batteries or practicing safe cooking. According to the USFA, 81% of all fire deaths and three out of every four fire injuries occur in the home. “Most fires can be prevented, and we all have a role in preventing them,” said Broscious. “In order to be successful, we have to involve as many citizens as possible to help prevent fires within our city.”

In addition to continuing the smoke alarm initiative, the CRRT will also focus its efforts on education programs targeted toward those who are the most vulnerable to the risk of fire injury and death – children and older adults. According to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), children playing with fire cause hundreds of deaths and injuries across the U.S. each year. Some play with fire out of curiosity, not realizing the danger, and troubled children may set a fire as a way of acting out. The GCFD has a team of specialists who can help intervene with youth fire setters, and the CRRT is working to expand the department’s Juvenile Fire Starters program. Additionally, through a sponsorship by CPI Security, the CRRT is also in the process of upgrading the Fire and Life Safety House, which travels to schools and community events throughout the year to help educate children about fire safety.

NFPA statistics also show that knowing what to do in the event of a fire is particularly important for older adults. At age 65, people are twice as likely to be killed or injured by fires compared to the population at large. The CRRT’s plans include developing a program, modeled after Remembering When^TM: A Fire and Fall Prevention Program for Older Adults, developed by NFPA and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, to help older adults live safely at home for as long as possible. The GCFD recently partnered with Greenville Health System and Bon Secours St. Francis Health System to train staff members on performing home safety checks, and also partnered with Meals on Wheels to install smoke alarms. The CRRT will continue to work with its community partners to identify ways to ensure the safety of the city’s senior population.

“We’ve made great strides in our community risk reduction efforts over the past year,” said Broscious. “And now that we have a team dedicated to developing new programs and refining existing programs, there is no limit to what we can accomplish.”