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Home My WebLink About13-Fire Department CITY OF SAN BERNARDINO - REQUEST FOR COUNCIL ACTION em: Michael J. Conrad, Fire Chief Subject: Resolution ratifying the submittal of the 2008 Rolf H. Jensen Memorial Public Education Grant Application to the National Fire Protection Association in the amount of$5,000. Dept: Fire Date: January 29, 2008 MC/C Meeting Date: February 19,2008 Synopsis of Previous Council Action: 02/05/07 Resolution #2007-41 authorizing the Fire Department to apply for and administer the 2007 Rolf H. Jensen Memorial Public Education grant application to be submitted to the National Fire Protection Association. 01/16/07 Grants Ad Hoc Committee-Item recommended for approval. RECOMMENDATION: Adopt resolution. c JJtdJ /1. ~ Siinature (j Contact Person: Michael J. Conrad, Fire Chief Phone: (909) 384-5286 Supporting data attached: StaffReoort, Resolution, and Application Ward: CitYWide FUNDING REQUIREMENTS: Amount: Source: $ (Acct No.) (Acct Descriotion) Finance: Council Notes: c Agenda Item No. d.jJ!J / IJt 13 c o c STAFF REPORT SUBJECT Resolution ratifying the submittal of the 2008 Rolf H. Jensen Memorial Public Education Grant application to the National Fire Protection Association in the amount of $5,000. BACKGROUND The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) has announced the availability and is seeking applications for the 2008 Rolf H. Jensen Memorial Public Education Grant. The grant is funded by the Rolf Jensen & Associates Group, the award provides a $5,000 grant to one local fire department in the United States. The fire department must support a community-wide fire and life safety education program or campaign. The Fire Department is requesting ratification of its submittal of the grant application to NFP A for the purpose of saving lives and property through significantly enhancing fire safety awareness in our community (attachment A). Our goal is to promote safety awareness through our public education program in preventing fires and saving lives. Thus, this grant program would allow the City of San Bernardino the needed resources to purchase banners, a digital camera, public education materials, radio commercials, and school flyers to be distributed through the population. The deadline to submit the grant application to NFPA was due on February 15, 2008; therefore, it has already been submitted. There is no cost-share or matching funds requirement associated with the 2008 Rolf H. Jensen Memorial Public Education Grant. Because the grant amount is small, no matching funds are required, and there is very little discretion on programs, this item was not heard by the Grants Ad Hoc Committee. The Rolf H. Jensen committee will review all applications and the fire department awarded the grant will be announced at the March 2008 meeting of the NFPA Board of Directors. FINANCIAL IMPACT The total program funding is $5,000; there is no cost sharing nor matching funds requirement. There will be no impact to the City's General Fund. RECOMMENDATION Adopt resolution. 1 c 1 RESOLUTION NO. 2 3 RESOLUTION OF THE MAYOR AND COMMON COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SAN BERNARDINO RATIFYING THE SUBMITTAL OF THE 2008 ROLF H. JENSEN MEMORIAL PUBLIC EDUCATION GRANT APPLICATION TO THE NATIONAL FIRE PROTECTION ASSOCIATION IN THE AMOUNT OF 55,000. 4 5 6 WHEREAS, in order to comply with a February 15, 2008, application deadline, the City of San Bernardino Fire Department has submitted a grant application for the 2008 Rolf H. Jensen Memorial Public Education Grant; 7 B 9 NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE MAYOR AND COMMON COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SAN BERNARDINO AS FOLLOWS: 10 11 SECTION 1. The Mayor and Common Council hereby ratify the Fire Chiefs submittal of the grant application to the National Fire Protection Association for the 2008 Rolf H. Jensen Memorial Public Education Grant in the amount of $5,000. A copy of the grant application is 12 13 C 14 attached as Attachment "A", and incorporated herein by reference. c 15 /II /1/ /II /II 1/1 /1/ /II /II /II //1 //1 /II /II //1 fl}O./'!; 2-1~_I1Q 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 c c c 1 RESOLUTION OF THE MAYOR AND COMMON COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SAN BERNARDINO RATIFYING THE SUBMITTAL OF THE 2008 ROLF H. JENSEN 2 MEMORIAL PUBLIC EDUCATION GRANT APPLICATION TO THE NATIONAL FIRE PROTECTION ASSOCIATION IN THE AMOUNT OF $5,000. 3 4 I HEREBY CERTIFY that the foregoing Resolution was duly adopted by the Mayor and 5 Common Council of thlil City of San Bernardino at a meeting thereof, held on the _ 6 day of , 2008, by the following vote, to wit: 7 COUNCIL MEMBERS: AYES ABSTAIN ABSENT NAYS 8 ESTRADA 9 BAXTER 10 BRINKER 11 DERRY 12 KELLEY 13 JOHNSON 14 MC CAMMACK 15 16 Rachel Clark, City Clerk 17 The foregoing Resolution'is hereby approved this _ day of ,2008. 18 19 20 PATRlCKJ. MORRIS, Mayor 21 City of San Bernardino 22 Approved as to form: 23 JAMES F. PENMAN, City Attorney 24 Br1<L 25 26 27 28 c c c Attachment "A" The 2008 RoIfH. Jensen Memorial Public Education Grant Application Fire Department: San Bernardino City Fire Department (SBFD) Project Name: Fire Stops with YOU! Submitted by: Manuel Sedano Address: 200 East 3rd Street, San Bemardino, CA. 92410 Telephone: 909-384-5388 E-mail: sedano _ ma@sbcity.org Applicant must submit the following information: 1. A description ofthe community-wide fire safety education program/campaign to be implemented. (Maximum of 300 words) 20 points SBFD respectfully submits its proposal to the RolfH. Jensen Memorial Public Education Grant for $5,000 to support its public education program for young people, older adults, persons with disabilities and citizens who speak only Spanish. We look forward to exploring the possibilities with you. Thank you for considering our request. A look at the demographic information available on the City of San Bernardino reveals a city that is the largest city (211,823 residents - Community and Economic Profile, 2006 Edition) in the largest county in the U.S. Ethnically diverse, and within one of the fastest growing areas in the U.S., SBFD serves people of all ages and backgrounds in our city. Our community is approximately 56% Hispanic/Latino, 18% African-American, 16% Caucasian and 10% Asian and other. We serve approximately 500 people per week-75% of which are children and teenagers. SBFD actively promotes fire and life safety awareness; through our Bilingual public educational program we aim to increase fire safety awareness within the "at risk" segments of our population, thus reducing fire- related incidents and accidents. Education is a powerful tool in preventing fires and saving lives for "at risk" groups. This grant proposal is intended to increase the capacity of our Public Education Officer to provide culturally and linguistically appropriate fire and life safety education to eliminate linguistic disparities in fire and life safety educational efforts within our communities. Thus, this grant program would allow the City of San Bemardino the needed resources to purchase public education materials to be distributed through the identified high-risk population. Statistics state that injuries are the number-one health risk for kids ages 14 and under. Every year, according to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), unintentional injuries kill more than 6,000 children, with another 120,000 seriously injured or permanently disabled by fires, burns, traffic injuries, and more. 1 c c c At the opposite end of the age spectrum, those 65 years and older are at-risk for fire- related injuries. According to a 2001 U.S.F.A. study, "as a natural result ofthe aging process, older adults present unique challenges in the fields of fire protection, prevention, and safety. Changes associated with the aging process predispose older adults to ignite a fire yet, at the same time, reduce their chances of surviving it." With proper education, many serious, fITe-related injuries and accidents may be prevented within these identified "at risk" groups. Within the city of San Bernardino, children 14 years and under comprise approximately 18% of our population. Residents 65 years and older make-up approximately 4.3% of our population. Grant approval would enable the San Bernardino City Fire Department greater opportunities for educational outreach to our identified "at-risk" groups. SBFD is proactive in the approach to fire safety and offers a variety of programs that serve community members of every age and background. This particular proposal seeks funding for one of our most important programs: our public education program. This program is the cornerstone of our organization and our strategy to bring increased fire safety awareness to "at-risk" segments of our communities. 2. An outline of the goals and objectives of tbe public education program/campaign. (Maximum of 100 words) 10 points Our goal is a 10% increase in knowledge following fire prevention and life safety presentations. Our primary emphasis will target audiences from the very young to the elderly, those with disabilities, and those who only speak Spanish. San Bernardino City Fire Department's (SBFD) is dedicated to saving lives and property through significantly enhancing fire and life safety awareness in our communities, through our public education program, which is tailored to our community's language. We will analyze standards for fire prevention and protection and coordinate educational sessions with elementary schools, adult centers, public and private agencies, and present public education in areas that will reach high-risk populations. We will purchase and create literature that will be handed out and explained to the citizens of our communities. We foresee San Bernardino City Fire visiting our city's 44 elementary schools, public and private agencies, and accommodate public education presentation requests through our public education officer to enhance, expand, and supplement fire prevention. awareness. There are 3 hospitals and 8 senior homes within our area and we plan to have our public education materials, and our bilingual public education officer available to answer and explain questions. To help with our mission, SBFD seeks to launch an innovative partnership with Radio Laser, a Spanish-based broadcasting company, consisting of monthly half-hour fire safety talk shows and weekly I5-second fire safety/prevention awareness commercials. 2 C 3. Details oC the implementation plan, including a timeline and staff'mg to manage the project. (Maximum 400 words) 25 points Preparation is the best defense against fire! Despite being staffed with highly qualified fire suppression personnel, we continue to have too many fires and fire-related injuries and deaths. In fact, the NFP A reports that in 2006 U.S. fire departments responded to an estimated 1,642,500 fires. These fires resulted in 3,245 civilian fire fatalities, 16,400 civilian fire injuries and an estimated $11,307,000,000 in direct property loss. There was a civilian fire death every 162 minutes and a civilian fire injury every 32 minutes in 2006. Home fires caused 2,580, or 80%, of the civilian fire deaths. c Our year-round school district has an emollment of about 28,000 students at anyone time during a calendar year. We plan to visit all of our 44 elementary schools, our 3 hospitals, and 8 senior homes, to reinforce fire safety in our community; we will create and distribute a fire safety flyer once a quarter to every enrolled elementary student, senior and throughout our hospitals. To further emphasize our fire safety messages to our communities, we are seeking an innovative partnership with Radio Laser, a Spanish- based broadcasting company to assist us with monthly half-hour fire safety talk shows and weekly IS-second fire safety/prevention awareness commercials. We will further emphasize our fire safety messages at public outreach events through public education materials and with our Public Education Officer. We will use an electronic billboard that is seen by 200,000 commuters daily. Education is a powerful tool in preventing fires and saving lives. Because most fires occur in the home, the main focus of our public education efforts will be home fire safety. We foresee the implementation of this program by May 1, 2008. Our Public Education Officer will provide culturally, age-appropriate and linguistically appropriate fire and life safety education to eliminate linguistic disparities in fire and life safety educational efforts to people within our communities. All of San Bernardino's youth, elders, disabled persons, and people who only speak Spanish will acquire the necessary education and information to become fire-safe in their daily lives, to be prepared fora fire emergency. 4. An explanation oChow the effectiveness oCthe program/campaign will be evaluated, including a deadline Cor completion oC the evaluation, (Maximum oC 300 words) 10 points . c San Bemardino City Fire will evaluate the effectiveness of our program through a post- presentation survey form that will be collected the same day they are handed out and filled out. Prior to the fire prevention and safety presentation, the presenter will ask audiences questions to determine pre-presentation knowledge. After the presentation, the audience will complete a short survey questionaire to measure if an increase in knowledge occurred. The Public Education Officer will retain and store survey results. At the end of one year all results will be tabulated to calculate and to determine the effectiveness of the program. 3 c c c s. A discussion of the impact potential of the program/campaign and whether it will reach a high-risk audience, such as pre-school children, older adults, low- income groups, or other specialized audiences. (Maximum 300 words) 20 points SBFD's mission is to increase fire safety awareness so as to decrease fire-related incidents in our communities. Located within the largest county in the USA, San Bernardino is an ethnically diverse low-income community of211,000 that has been largely left behind in the economic boom that has transformed neighboring communities. SBFD offers broad range of fire safety topics that aim to influence change in our communities' culture when it comes to fire safety - created by information through our public education program. SBFD currently assists an after-school program called CAPS (Creative After-School Programs for Success) that teaches fire safety to 3600 kids between the ages of 5 - II. Topics include smoke detectors, window safety bars, electrical fires, matches and lighters, stop, drop and roll, candles, E.D.I.T.H., and emergency telephone caUs. Due to the high Spanish-speaking population of the City of San Bernardino, the lack of a previous bilingual public education program, and low-income rates, this program has a very high impact potential. Hispanic neighborhoods are at a higher risk of injury and death due to fire than other non-minority segments of the population because they have been underconsidered in previous campaigns. Education is a powerful tool in preventing fires and saving lives for "at risk" groups. We foresee San Bernardino City Fire visiting our city's 44 elementary schools, with our bilingual public education officer, educational materials to enhance, expand, and supplement our current fire prevention program. There are 3 hospitals and 8 senior homes within our area and we plan to have our Spanish educational materials, and our bilingual public education officer available for fire and life safety education. 6. A description of materials to be used or developed to support the program/campaign. (Maximum of 200 words) 5 points To ensure that everyone in our community has access to fire safety education, SBFD is working to bring fire safety education in a variety of ways: 1 Spanish Banner and I English Banner - to advertise our program while we attend public outreach events. I red table skirt with our logo/agency name (in white) - to inform people that we are representing the San Bernardino City Fire Department. I red battery-operated portable beacon - to attract people (especiaUy kids) to our informational booth. Radio commercials - to inform our Spanish speaking portion of our community. 1,000 English/Spanish senior fire safety brochures. 1,000 English/Spanish smoke detector brochures. 4 c c c 5,000 fire safety coloring and activity books - for the younger elementary school students. 28,000 school flyers - to inform children and their parents. 1 35mm digital camera - to take pictures of events and post them on our web page. I fire safety video - to show at school fire safety educational events. 7. An outline of the costs associated with the program/campaign. (Maximum of 100 words) 5 points The cost breakdown for the project is as follows: a. I Spanish Banner and 1 English Banner: $200.00 b. 1 red table skirt: $90.00 c. 1 red battery-operated portable beacon: $30.00 d. 12 Spanish 15-second fire safety radio commercials: $360.00 e. 1,000 English/Spanish senior fire safety brochures: $448.00 f. 1,000 English/Spanish smoke detector brochures: $448.00 g. 28,000 English/Spanish fire safety flyers: $600.00 (2 runs = $1,200) h. 5,000 fire safety coloring and activity books: $1,950.00 1. 1 35mm digital camera: $250.00 J. 1 fire safety video: $205.00 8. An explanation of how the Rolf H. Jensen Memorial Public Education Grant will be acknowledged in the program/campaign. (Maximum of 100 words) 5 points SBFD is a proactive non-profit community organization that offers a broad range of services to its communities, including public education, apartment and business inspections, fire suppression, and arson investigation. This grant would enable many more members of the community to learn basic fire safety and fire/injury prevention education. We would announce the RolfH. Jensen grant at our city's council meeting, mention it during special public events, at school presentations, in the city's newsletter, during radio interviews and PSA's to our local newsprint media and all our printed public education materials (e.g. flyers, posters, banners, and brochures). 5