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In Holmes County, simple steps were taken to prevent future tragedies
NFPA Journal®, November/December 2003

James Shannon

James M. Shannon
NFPA President

This issue of NFPA Journal features an article by NFPA's Public Affairs Director Margie Coloian about our involvement in an exciting new project in the Mississippi Delta

For years, Holmes County, Mississippi, has had one of the highest fire death rates in the United States. After a fire in Tchula killed six children last year, however, the county's citizens decided things were going to change. Funded through a grant from the U.S. Fire Administration and a contribution from NFPA, a task force of area leaders got together and developed a plan to install working smoke alarms in every Holmes County residence that needs them. A well-organized band of community volunteers, led by the fire service, will commit their time and labor to the project, which will be completed over the next nine months.

It's a great advance for fire safety in Holmes County, and NFPA is proud to be part of it. But a broader message emerges from this experience. The Mississippi effort came together because people in the community decided to take control of their own futures and make it happen. The task force was born from the community's grief at the unacceptable loss of innocent lives and its belief that people in the county could join with one another to do something about it.

One of the most frustrating aspects of our attempts to protect lives and property is the fact that most tragedies can be prevented if individuals take very simple steps to educate themselves and follow through on what they've learned. That's why NFPA's public education programs are so central to our efforts. Basic actions, such as replacing smoke alarm batteries and practicing an escape plan with your kids, are a statement of personal responsibility for your own safety. A system of safety codes, along with effective enforcement and a well-trained and well-equipped fire department, is important, but nothing can be as effective as the efforts of individuals and communities to address safety issues themselves.

The Holmes County project is a model of what people can do to protect lives and property through their own initiative, and the example has not been lost on others. Several more communities have already spoken to us about developing their own plans with NFPA's help. Different approaches will work in different places, but the lesson is simple: None of us can afford to sit on the sidelines when it comes to hazards like fire. Nothing can offer the protection that personal responsibility provides.

Fire Prevention Week is our annual opportunity to reinforce this message, but we emphasize it every day at NFPA. We believe in codes and standards. They've proven their importance in saving lives.

We support our fire service and feel that more resources must be provided to ensure that our firefighting and enforcement communities have the necessary tools to do their jobs. But everyone should realize that the first line of defense in making the world safer is our own families and our own homes. This is a lesson Mississippi can teach all of us.

James M. Shannon
President and Chief Executive Officer

In this Section:

			Building to Code Mission: Performance-based options

			Buzzwords Challenge of nightclub fire alarm systems

			Extra Game over for ‘zippotricks'

			Fire Watch Fire sprinkler extinguishes arson fire in Florida

			FIrst Word In Holmes County, simple steps were taken to prevent future tragedies

			Heads Up Five years later

			In Compliance Open flame devices and other ignition sources

			Inside the Beltway Strong prospects for Right-to-Know Act

			Ins and Outs Back to the drawing board

			Just Ask An update on NFPA Update

			Looking Back ...at the Iroquois Theater fire, Chicago, Illinois

			On the Agenda Cost-effective E-learning for professionals

			Outreach Fire safety, front and center

			Structural Ops The ultimate life-safety challenge