Fire Facts

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"Ready Feels Good" is the slogan for Farmers Insurance Group, and this is evident in their sponsorship of two important fire safety and preparedness programs.  In preparation for Southern California's wildfire season, they spearheaded a campaign to distribute "Before the Threat" emergency preparedness packages to 400,000 homes in wildfire prone areas of San Diego County.  In a nationwide fire safety effort, in March of 2009 they began sponsoring www.FireFacts.org, an interactive website and CD aimed at teaching children and their families what to do in case of a fire.

Farmers Insurance has partnered with fire departments across the United States to distribute the multimedia CD to school children grades K through 6.  The CD features games, coloring pages and activities designed to teach kids about fire safety.  It also includes escape simulators to help families plan an escape route in the event of a house fire.  This in turn will help firefighters arriving at the scene of a fire to account for all members of a household and possibly prevent the need for them to enter the burning building.  The CD is hosted by Firefighter Bill, a real firefighter, who shows the kids the different uniforms and gear worn by firefighters, teaching them not to be afraid of the first responders when they arrive at their home.

The CD's are distributed at fire prevention assemblies at schools throughout the country, and children are encouraged to take the material home to review with their parents.  Ed Martens a Farmers Insurance Agent and Representative for FireFacts.org, explains, "We make sure every child is able to take the disc home to participate with their parents because it is interactive.  And the parents are the ones that are actually learning more than the child, but we're able to teach it through the children back to the parents."  He also says it is very important that grandparents review this material with the children, as they are often caregivers.

According to Martens, there is one documented "save" that can be attributed to the Fire Facts Program.  One young girl in Missouri was given the material at school, and took it home to review with her family.  Together they went through the CD and developed an escape plan.  A few days later, their home caught on fire, and they implemented everything they learned with the program.   As a result, everyone escaped safely.  Martens says there is also an unofficial report published that estimated that if all children across the United States were to receive this CD, between 34 and 37 children could be saved in the first year.  As such, Farmers Insurance is encouraging its agents and fire departments to partner with their local school districts to participate in this important educational campaign.

The CD and website are also sponsored by First Alert, and they are endorsed by the California Fire Chiefs Association. For more information, visit www.firefacts.org.

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Author:Barbara Brooks - FDNNTV.com