Fire prevention is critical, but that doesn’t mean you can’t have fun while learning how to stay safe. That was the idea behind the Temple Burn Center’s second annual Fire Prevention Day, which was held outside Temple University Hospital-Main Campus on October 17th.
The Burn Center invited students from nearby Mary McLeod Bethune Elementary School for fire prevention education, as well as the chance to see a working fire truck, meet Crisis Response Canines Kona and Axel, and enjoy games and prizes.
The Burn Center is required to hold events like these to maintain its status as an accredited burn center from the American Burn Association. But what’s more important, says Melissa Loughran, MSN, RN, NEA-BC, Director of Nursing Services & Burn Operations, is the opportunity they give us to connect with our community.
“We’re establishing a national reputation as a top burn center, but we also want our neighbors to know that they’ll receive great care here,” says Loughran, who handled outreach for the event alongside Burn Nurse Clinical Coordinator Elizabeth Bilski, BSN-RN, CBRN, CCRN. “That starts with engaging young people in North Philadelphia, and letting them know that they can feel safe and comfortable at Temple.”
That meant providing age-appropriate fire prevention education that resonated with elementary schoolers. “We used materials from the National Fire Protection Association, which were all about planning,” Loughran explains. “This year, the focus was on fire alarm safety. What does a fire alarm sound like? How do you differentiate between different alarm sounds? What do you do if there’s a fire and you hear the fire alarm go off? Can we walk through the escape plan steps together?”
The Burn Center had also reached out to Bethune Elementary School two months before the event to invite the students to participate in a fire prevention poster contest, which had a fire alarm safety theme. The winners—which were judged by visitors to the hospital—were announced at Fire Prevention Day, and earned gift cards as prizes (while all of the children received Temple Health t-shirts and goodie bags).
“The kids really had a ball,” Loughran says. “We wanted them to get to know the people who work at Temple, and to remember that we’re here to help and protect them. Building these relationships, and these bonds with the community: that’s what matters.”
