The long range goals of this project are: (1) To develop and establish a national certification system whereby staff responsible for elderly people in a variety of settings can receive uniform and validated training in fire safety, and (2) To determine a decrease in the risk of fire, fire deaths, and fire injuries among the elderly. The proposed system would have a two- level training program. Level I is the Fire Safety Workshops for the target populations: operators and staff of board and care and nursing homes, and elderly living independently and responsible for their own safety. Level II Workshops train instructors from each state to conduct Level I workshops. The four components are: (1) Fire Safety Workshops for the target populations, (2) Instructor Workshops, (3) Continuing Education Program, (4) A Network to link clients with certified instructors and to collect follow-up data to determine whether the system is reducing accomplishing its second goal. The system for the elderly will be adapted from the National Fire Safety Certification System developed by Bonnie Walker & Associates for operators and staff of board and care facilities for people with developmental disabilities. A Focus Group whose members have expertise in research, evaluation, fire safety, board and care and nursing home operations, elderly living independently in the community, aging issues, training, and late on-set visual and hearing impairments will guide the project.
NIH ExPorter
NIH ExPorter