October 12, 2004

FD earns award for 6th straight year

       The White River Township Fire Department has been presented with a Life Safety Achievement Award for the year 2003 by the Residential Fire Safety Institute (RFSI).  The award was announced by Roy L. Marshall, Director of the RFSI.

          For 11 years, the Life Safety Achievement Award has recognized the local fire prevention activities that contributed to reducing the number of lives lost in residential fires.  The White River Township Fire Department qualified for this award in year 2003 because it recorded zero fire deaths in structures during that year.  Although residential fires in the U.S. account for only 20 percent of all fires, they result in 80 percent of all fire deaths.  The RFSI is committed to reducing that number.  A total of 973* fire departments in the U.S., Italy and Iceland received the Life Safety Achievement Award. 

          “Experience tells us that fire prevention activity and public education can significantly reduce life and property loss from residential fires,” Marshall said.  “Prevention and education are very cost effective compared to the traditional approach of relying on fire suppression.  The Life Safety Achievement Award recognizes fire departments for their fire prevention efforts and encourages them to continually improve those efforts.”

          The RFSI is a public interest group whose mission is to reduce residential fire deaths and injuries.  The RFSI advocates the use of residential fire sprinklers, smoke alarms, carbon monoxide detectors and teaching people fire-safe behavior.  The RFSI assists fire departments with implementing residential sprinkler/smoke alarm programs on a local basis.  The RFSI’s membership includes the United States Fire Administration, the National Association of State Fire Marshals and private industry/associations with an interest in and commitment to residential fire safety.
  

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