North County Fire awarded NFPA scholarship

FALLBROOK – North County Fire and Foundation for Senior Care 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). The awarded scholarships provide for travel expenses for two participants, Remembering When curriculum materials and all training.

The conference will be held December 4-6, in Boston, Mass. NFPA has selected two-member teams from 29 communities across the country to participate. 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.

“Adults 65 years and older are more than twice as likely to be killed in a home fire compared to the population at large, and falls are the leading cause of death from injuries in this group,” said Sharon Gamache, program director of High-Risk Outreach Programs, “This training offers strategies that participants can bring back to share with their communities to help prevent fires and falls among older adults that live there.”

Patty Koch of North County Fire and Dotty Metcalf of Foundation for Senior Care will travel to Boston for the workshop. Following the workshop, North County Fire will conduct a minimum of five group presentations and at least two train-the-trainer sessions for Foundation for Senior Care. The Foundation for Senior Care will integrate materials from the Remembering When program into its outreach through home visits.

NFPA’s s 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. For more information about Remembering When, visit http://www.nfpa.org/rememberingwhen.