Fire & Fall Prevention Training scholarship awarded |

The Kannapolis Fire Department (KFD) and Living Water Church of God have been awarded scholarships to participate in a training conference dedicated to Remembering When™: A Fire and Fall Prevention Program for Older Adults, developed by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA).  

NFPA selected two-member teams from 37 communities across the United States and Canada to participate in the training, held Dec. 2-4 in Boston.  Teams are comprised of one fire department member partnered with an individual from an agency within the community that serves older adults through home visits, such as visiting nurses associations, home health care agencies, and places of worship. Scholarships cover travel expenses, Remembering When curriculum materials and all training.

The Remembering When program focuses on 16 key fire and fall prevention messages, including:
•    To prevent fires, space heaters should be kept at least three feet from anything that can burn and unplugged when no one’s home or at bedtime
•    While cooking, older adults should wear tight fitting clothing or short sleeves so clothes don’t ignite from the stove
•    People should never leave cooking unattended or cook if drowsy from medicine or alcohol
•    To prevent falls, older adults should exercise to improve balance and build strength. Consult a doctor about ability-appropriate exercise
•    To prevent falls in the home, clear stairs and hallways of electrical cords, shoes, books, magazines, clothing and other objects

Maria Bostian, KFD fire & life safety educator and Rebecca Hoover, parish nurse with Living Water Church of God will attend the workshop. Following the workshop, KFD will conduct at least five group presentations and two train-the-trainer sessions for Living Water Church of God.  The Living Water Church of God will integrate materials from the program into outreach through home visits.

NFPA is committed to helping communities reduce fire and fall injuries and deaths among older adults. The Remembering When program has been implemented in communities throughout North American since 1999, reaching thousands of older adults.

Learn more about the Remembering When program here.