INSIDE
THIS ISSUE:
LLS Man of the 2
Year Nominee
Word Pie
Game
2
Spotlight on
Service
3
Game
Solution
3
Contact
Information
4
Firefighter Risk & Resilience
Study Newsletter - Spring 2014
Beetle Bug Fire Safety App for Children
http://www.iaff.org/Comm/SpotLight/14Stories/031014WinstonSalemBeetleBug.htm http://www.camelcitydispatch.com/beetle­bug­fire­safety­app­for­kids­endorsed­with­winston­salem­firefighters/ Have you been wondering how to present fire safety to children in a creative, engaging, smart and effec­
tive way? Creators of the Beetle Bug app have made it their mission to do just that! By learning safety techniques, the makers of this app hope to “Save Young Lives”. Re­
viewers of the Beetle Bug Child Safety app say that it is, “a must download” and that it is, “great for kids to learn about fire safety! It teaches them important skills in a fun, non­scary way!” In order to promote fire safety and awareness for the entire household, The Winston­Salem Professional Fire Fighters Association teamed up with Art Leonardi, the Emmy Award winning animated artist who created the Pink Panther, to design the characters in this exciting app. Headlining Beetle Bug and his friends, Lil’ Bitty Bug and Itty Bitty Bug, the Beetle Bug Child Safety app features games, puzzles, color­
ful images and music that are in­
tended to engage children of all ages. By teaching lessons like “What to do when you hear a smoke alarm” and “The best way to exit your home”, children are equipped with important information that could be vital in an emergency. Parents and caregivers also benefit from several features of the app. For instance, the “Fire Drill” set­
ting, which is intended to put the entire family’s preparation to the test allows family members to set the date and time for a fire drill. The app then reminds the device user when the drill is set to take place. Then, the app allows the user to press, “Start Fire Drill” and it times the family’s exit until the user presses, “Fire Drill Over”. Through this tool, families can recognize whether the fire safety plan they have in place is the most efficient course of action possible. The WSPFFA hopes to encourage family discussion in order to im­
prove procedure surrounding emer­
gencies. The role of parents in the process of educating children is absolutely vital. “Parents and care­
givers are the most important play­
ers when it comes to teaching chil­
dren the safety procedures neces­
sary to stay safe in a fire.” Through the use of this app, children and caregivers are provided an opportu­
nity for discussing and practicing important fire safety information. Recently, Leonardi and local Winston­Salem fire fighters were able to put a smile on the faces of patients at Brenner Children’s Hospital. While the firefighters demonstrated the app, Leonardi showed the children how to draw the Pink Panther and the Beetle Bug featured in the latest version of the app. The Beetle Bug Fire Safety app is currently available for download through the Apple App store for iPhone, iPad or iPod. The initial app download and Beetle Bug Demonstrations are free, however the lessons are available as an “in
­app purchase” for $3.99. Makers of the app in collaboration with local Winston­Salem Fire Fight­
ers are working to develop a 2.0 version that they hope will be available soon. http://childsafetyapps.com/
index.php PAGE
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LLS Nominee for Man of the Year: Patrick Jessee Recently, Patrick Jessee, a Firefighter/Paramedic for the Chi­
cago Fire Department, was nominated as a candidate for the Illinois’ Chapter of the Leukemia Lymphoma Society’s 2014 Man & Woman of the Year Campaign. In 2011, Patrick was diagnosed with a rare, aggressive form of non­Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. The Leukemia Lymphoma Society (LLS) was the first organization that he reached out to for information and guidance about treatment and life after cancer. The LLS remained by his side during six months of treatment and the organization continues to help him to this day. The Man & Woman of the Year Campaign is a national do­
nation driven campaign whose purpose is to raise funds on behalf of the Boy (Frankie Sobie) and Girl (Piper Novak) of the Year until May 17, 2014. The funds from this campaign will go towards funding research for blood cancers and fi­
nancial support for patients and families who are unable to afford the expensive chemotherapy and radiation treatments for their disease. If Patrick raises a minimum of $50,000, he will be able to assign the funds to a research grant of his choosing, includ­
ing research focusing on firefighters and blood cancers. Cur­
rent research indicates that firefighters face a 50% greater chance than others to be diagnosed with non­ Survivors Piper Novak, Girl of the Year, and Patrick Jessee, nominee for Man of the Year Hodgkin’s lymphoma. To date, 10 members of the Chicago Fire Department are living with a blood cancer diagnosis. Patrick and many other patients personally know the benefits of the services that the LLS provide. These past two years since Patrick was declared in remission have been personally fulfilling. He feels that it is now his responsibility to give back to the organization that was there for him during his time of need so that they can be there for others during their time of need. For further information or to donate directly you can visit Patrick’s website: http://www.mwoy.org/pages/il/
chicago14/pjessee Word Pie Game
Unscramble the letters in each “pie” segment below, then find the missing letter that completes each word. (The missing letter, indicated by the question mark, is the same for each word.) FIREFIGHTER
RISK
&
RESILIENCE
PAGE
3
Spotlight on Service - Boston Fire Department
In our newsletters we highlight firefighter service outside the line of duty from the cities in our study. In this
newsletter, we focus on Boston, Massachusetts.
We would like to acknowledge and thank the firefighters of Boston for their continued selfless service and inspiration to us all. Stories like these are commonly heard by our study staff as we interview our participants. We are honored to be involved in research with such selfless people. http://www.boston.com/
metrodesk/2012/12/18/santa­makes­
surprise­visit­children­shriners­hospital/
qo3xM0jOB8byVLmDKt5LgL/story.html http://www.shrinershospitalboston.org/
news­and­events/santa­visits­shriners­
boston­holidays The missing letter is H
Solution of the hospital building using a bucket from Boston Fire’s Tower Ladder truck in order to wave to children who are unable to leave their rooms in the burn unit. After descending from his ladder, Santa and his elves hand out T­shirts and Christmas ornaments to the hospital staff members. Firefighters come with gifts to hand out to children and the Burn Foundation fulfills entire wish lists provided by the hospital. The foundation annually provides eve­
rything from iPads to video games, to craft supplies and even ink for printers for the children’s recreation room. By providing these supplies for the chil­
dren’s recreation room, the foundation creates space for these children, many of whom are receiving treatment for acute burn injuries, to just enjoy being kids and to forget about the tough times that their families are enduring. The presence of these firefighters also boosts the morale of the staff members and brings joy to the volunteers as well. HARNESS
HYDRAULIC
FIREHOUSE
HYDRANT The Boston Firefighter’s Burn Foun­
dation, an organization comprised of non­paid volunteers consisting of Bos­
ton firefighters, has made it their mis­
sion, “to ease the suffering and hard­
ships of burn victims and their fami­
lies”. By offering lodging, clothing, meals, travel expenses, mortgage and rent payments to affected families, the foundation has gone above and beyond to help those in need. This year Santa arrived early and in style for children at Shriner’s Hospi­
tals for Children­Boston. An annual tradition for the Boston Firefighters Burn Foundation, firefighters have been visiting children who are receiv­
ing pediatric burn care at Shriner’s Hospital and distributing gifts to them twice a year for over 10 years. The firefighters surprise the children once during the Christmas Holiday and once in July for a special “Christmas in July” event. Santa makes a special trip up the side 2201 MacArthur Drive
Suite 100
Waco, TX 76708
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