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Waterloo Fire Rescue's Fire PALS (Prevent Accidents Live Safe) Program implements an injury prevention program into Waterloo's public and parochial elementary schools. This program started as an after-school volunteer program, and is now motivated to meet the goals of the Healthy People 2000-Objectives for the Nation, "Providing academic instruction on injury prevention and control as part of a quality school health education program in at least 50% of the public school systems."

The Fire PALS School-based Injury Prevention Program was adapted from the Phoenix Fire Department's Urban Survival for Schools Program, which was conceived and implemented with the vision of the fire service involved in community injury prevention education

Today, Waterloo Fire Rescue's Fire PALS Preschool-5th Grade Program closely mirrors Phoenix Fire Department's Urban Survival Program. Fire PALS combines fire and burn prevention with general injury prevention lessons to create a curriculum that is used in the classroom to teach children how to respond effectively to all types of life hazards. The Fire Pals program is taught on a semester basis. A trained Fire PALS instructor is assigned to a participating elementary school each semester. The instructor rotates every third week among grade levels in the elementary school, using age-appropriate lesson plans and materials.

 

The uniqueness of our program is reflected in the inclusion of our collaborating agencies, which share their safety information as part of the Fire PALS curriculum. The local SAFE KIDS coalition teaches accidental poisoning as well as bicycle and pedestrian safety. They also assist in bicycle safe rodeos at each school. Traumatic Injury Prevention Strategies (T.I.P.S.) uses the Think First For Kids brain and spinal cord injury prevention curriculum for the kindergarten and first grade classes. The local American Red Cross representatives teach two content areas: 1) Longfellow's Whales Tales water safety curriculum is taught to the kindergarten and first grade students; and 2) Project Safe Side severe weather safety curriculum is taught in the second and third grades.

Some of the expanded life safety topics in the new Fire PALS curriculum, in addition to fire safety include: Water safety, Bicycle safety, Outdoor Recreation safety, Accidental Poisoning Awareness, Pedestrian safety, Latchkey children safety, Basic First Aid.

Fire PALS is implemented as a partnership among schools, teachers, firefighters, community organizations and parents to provide fire and life safety education for all school children. The response to these enhanced life skills has been overwhelmingly positive in our community.