Washington, DC (September 14, 2022) – Vision 20/20, a project of the Institution of Fire Engineers-USA Branch, has been awarded a FY 2021 FEMA Fire Prevention and Safety Grant to expand the integration of Community Risk Reduction (CRR) practices within the U.S. fire service. This two-year grant award will fund the following projects:
- Creation of CRR Academy, a Learning Management System that will move all Vision 20/20 training content to a new virtual format, exponentially increasing audience reach and diversity.
- Develop webinars on each of Vision 20/20’s guiding strategies of Advocacy, Education & Outreach, Culture, Technology, Codes & Standards and Model Performance.
- Update material and training content to meet the needs of an evolving segment of our industry. These include updates to six of Vision 20/20’s guides; Outcomes, Model Performance, Community Risk Assessments, CRR Planning, Home Safety Visits and the State guide for Supporting CRR Programming.
- Convert course material to a virtual learning format including a one-day CRR Workshop (8-hour class), Statewide Collaboration & Engagement Framework training, Model Performance & Evaluation training and Station-Based Risk Assessment training.
- Vision 20/20’s flagship training, the two-day Data Collection & Analysis training, will be converted to a virtual course enabling fire personnel across the nation to develop the knowledge, skills and abilities needed to understand their data on a much deeper level and create their basic Community Risk Assessment with our template.
- Conduct research into cooking fire messaging, educational video and updates to the Materials Generator, a free tool for fire departments to brand educational material with tested messaging.
FEMA’s grant award will continue to increase awareness about CRR and how it can be implemented in communities across the nation to reduce risk, says Stephen Hrustich, Vision 20/20 project manager. “This grant will allow us to develop and provide resources to drive CRR across all levels of the fire and emergency services. The creation of a learning management system and converting our course material to a virtual learning format will allow free access to all members of the fire service,” he added. “It supports our mission to identify gaps, evaluate and apply data-driven strategies and resources and provide guidance in implementing adaptive measures to reduce fire and other risks. Collaborating with other organizations on our advisory council, we will save lives and protect first responders and property.”
Vision 20/20 is a collaboration project of the Institution of Fire Engineers – USA Branch and is guided by a Steering Committee of national fire safety advocate organizations working with a network of experts and leaders from across the country. It focuses on addressing the gaps in fire prevention and promoting Community Risk Reduction by developing free tools and resources, and fostering an exchange of ideas about best practices. More information can be found at www.StrategicFire.org and on Twitter and Facebook @strategicfire.
