Burn Prevention
AARBF partners with fire departments, prevention specialists, and community organizations across California to deliver fire and burn safety and prevention tools and education.
There is no “one size fits all” for burn prevention. Over the years we’ve learned that to be effective, our burn prevention education must be tailored to audiences to ensure it will be memorable, impactful, and lead to positive behavior change. Working in partnership with fire departments and community organizations ensures our programs fit the audiences they serve and are scalable.
Our partner from Menlo Park Fire discusses the importance of prevention education and tools.
Prevention Education
Our comprehensive educational materials are tailored to support burn survivors, their families, and educators, fostering an environment of understanding, resilience, and growth. Through interactive lessons, engaging activities, and practical resources, we aim to equip young burn survivors with the skills and confidence to navigate their unique challenges and embrace their futures with hope and strength.
Reaching out and inviting AARBF and firefighters to our campus helped make students feel safer and be aware of what their roles are and impact their roles at home as well.”
Principal Sadrakian
School Principal
Burn Prevention and Education for Unhoused Communities
Our Safe and Warm program addresses the growing number of burn patients from the unhoused community where injuries are most frequently caused by candles in tents, warming fires, or cooking from propane or butane. In partnership with The Midnight Mission in Los Angeles we developed a lightweight compact package, now distributed across California, that teaches strategies for keeping warm and preventing burns. The package includes a space blanket that provides warmth and protects against fire printed with safety strategy messages specific to this community, in both English and Spanish, to have an immediate warming impact as well as the safety education that is reinforced over and over.
I love the FISE program. I know that if we can affect one person that doesn’t know about fire safety and later on at home they were able to dial 911 or if they knew to get outside without getting hurt; that makes you feel so good.
DeWayne “Dash” Eckerdt
Firefighter
Senior Prevention and Risk Conversations
Senior Prevention and Risk Conversations (SPARC) is a fire and burn safety education program tailored to aging adults. The program engages seniors in conversation about fire and burn safety to help them incorporate safe practices into their everyday routine and is tailored to different living situations and ways of life, whether in assisted living, independent housing, senior-only communities, or with multi-generational family members.
Wildfire Prevention for Individuals and Families
The Wildfire P.R.E.P.A.R.E. tool outlines the steps necessary in the unfortunate event of a wildfire. The Multi-step tool helps individuals and families: 1. Create and rehearse plans. 2. Understand and prepare for evacuation warnings and orders. 3. Prepare for a return home, assess potential damage to property, and manage the emotional toll.
Children and Recovery from Wildfires Guide helps adults respond to the behavioral and emotional reactions of children in the aftermath of a wildfire. Organized by age group it describes common reactions and offers strategies to help children understand and cope with the psychological impacts of the experience. Developed for AARBF by Sadie Wilcox and Hania Thomas-Adams.
Psychological Impact of Wildfires for Burn and Trauma Survivors is a guide essential for burn and trauma survivors managing the impact of a wildfire. It helps burn survivors understand and cope with the new trauma of a wildfire describing symptoms you may experience, and strategies to help normalize and regain a sense of hope and purpose. Written by James Bosch, and Sadie Wilcox.