Alabama Smoke Alarm Initiative

From preventing falls to preventing house fires, from tracking trauma incidents to staving off suicides, the UAB ICRC and the Alabama Department of Public Health (ADPH) continue to partner on a wide range of health and safety initiatives that make a positive impact on the lives of all Alabamians. Among their notable successes is the Alabama Smoke Alarm Initiative (ASAI), which provides home fire safety education and installs smoke alarms in at-risk communities—typically low-income areas with historically high fire fatality rates—and is funded by a grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and conducted in conjunction with the State Fire Marshal’s Office. With the help of firefighters and volunteers from fifteen fire departments in nine counties across Alabama, the ASAI has provided in-home fire safety education to 6,997 households, installed 5,661 smoke alarms, and saved 61 lives in homes receiving the alarms. The ICRC faculty and staff worked closely with the Injury Prevention Division of ADPH in the formation of an Injury Advisory Council. This group of injury prevention and control specialists from across Alabama came together to complete a project funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, developing a statewide Injury Prevention Plan based on current resources within the state. The council’s presence encouraged partnerships, supported collaboration among various agencies, sustained injury prevention efforts, and built injury capacity in Alabama. Finalized in 2004, the State of Alabama Injury Prevention Plan addresses eight topics: bicycle-related injuries, falls in the elderly, motor vehicle crashes, residential fires, domestic violence, sexual assault and youth violence. Though there is limited funding at present, the next major objective of the Injury Advisory Council is to implement the strategies outlined in the plan. The council has been expanded to include additional state agencies, profit and non-profit organizations, agencies, and individuals interested in Alabama’s health and a desire to reduce injury in our citizens. Another prevention effort which arose from the partnership of the ICRC with ADPH was the Alabama Risk Watch Champion Management Team Safety Fair 2006. Held at the Alabama Fire College in Tuscaloosa, this event was designed to educate elementary school children and their teachers about various means of making choices to keep them safe and doing things within their environments at home and school to avoid injury. Safety-related activities included everything from practicing a fire escape plan from a house engulfed in simulated smoke and flames, to learning proper safety equipment to use while riding bicycles. Over 500 young people and teachers attended the day-long event, and there were 25 corporations and entities sponsoring the safety fair.