By Staff
Published Thursday, May 28, 2009
| From the February 2007 Issue of FireRescue
The Firefighter Life Safety Initiatives Program which is funded by the Department of Homeland Security's Assistance to Firefighters Grant is undertaking a 17-city tour dubbed the America's Heroes Whistle-Stop Tour.
The goals of the tour include raising firefighter and public awareness of 1) the Everyone Goes Home (EGH) program the foundation of which are the 16 Firefighter Life Safety Initiatives; 2) the 16 initiatives themselves; and 3) the stories of those left behind when a line-of-duty death occurs including family members and co-workers.
Developed by the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation (NFFF) in response to the alarming annual rate of preventable firefighter line-of-duty deaths (more than 100 per year) the EGH program supports the U.S. Fire Administration's goal of reducing firefighter deaths by 50 percent over the next 10 years.
Events and programs offered along the Whistle-Stop Tour's route will center on the 16 Firefighter Life Safety Initiatives as well as other firefighter life-safety initiatives preprograms including the Taking Care of Our Own curriculum which counsels departments that have experienced a line-of-duty fatality or serious injury.
The tour will begin unofficially with a media event hosted by the NFFF and the EGH program at the Congressional Fire Services Institute Dinner and Seminars in Washington D.C. on March 29; the official kick-off will commence in Sacramento on April 7. A rented deluxe motor coach bus accommodating 55 people will be wrapped with the message "Everyone Goes Home."
The tour's Saturday events will include rallies preparedness fairs training opportunities and speeches given by local dignitaries. Weekday events will highlight local fire departments and training activities. These events will also include stories from family members of firefighters killed in the line of duty.
For more information on the EGH program visit www.everyonegoeshome.com.
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