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State Fire Marshal

A Division of the Minnesota Department of Public Safety
 

Fire Prevention Education

​Home safety visits

Why are they beneficial? 

While home safety visits may look different in each community, the idea of helping people look for common household hazards and how to mitigate them will remain the same. Many fire departments choose to include smoke alarm installation as part of the home safety visit as a means to be invited into the home. 

There are many benefits to a department to adopt the practice of home safety visits including increasing fire safety knowledge of residents, positive public relations for the fire department, firefighter safety and increase working smoke alarms in the community. Here is a link to a how-to guide for home safety visits.​

Develop a program that works for you

  • This home safety survey from Spring Lake Park-Blaine-Mounds View Fire (SBM) helps residents get a better idea what they need to work on in their own home.
  • This booklet from St. Paul Fire helps residents make their home a safe haven and is simliar to the above home safety checklist.  
  • This document from the Washington State Fire Marshal walks you through appropriate messages to use on a home safety visit. 
  • This American Red Cross fire prevention and safety checklist​ is valuable to leave behind with homeowners. ​​

Contact Doug Johnson at 763-280-4609​ or by ema​il ​for more information about home safety visits and how to conduct them in your community. 


Fire prevention and safety fact sheets

The best way to stay safe from fire is to prevent them from happening in the first place.


Other resources

Messaging guide

The State Fire Marshal Division has a full-sized messaging guide  available to keep fire prevention messaging consistent throughout the state. Holding the book horizontally allows you to show your audience pictures while you share the messages from the other side. Contact Doug Johnson if you would like free copies of this. 

Fire and Fall Prevention for Older Adults

In the past five years in Minnesota, 42 percent of fire deaths were adults over the age of 60. The fall rate in Minnesota is climbing faster than the national rate. In order to provide tools to drive these numbers down, the Minnesota State Fire Chiefs Association along with the State Fire Marshal Division has created an education program for older adults  as well as a PowerPoint that you can edit and use for your presentations to older adults. The goal of this program guide is to provide an educational resource to fire departments and community partners that will help them teach older adults how to prevent fires and falls in their home. The goal is to save the lives and improve the quality of life of older adults.
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​Lesson Plans

Below you will find some lesson plans to help you teach grades K-6.


Lending Library

We have a robust lending library where you can borrow books, DVDs, Sparky costumes and more. Contact Doug Johnson ​for more information.

911 Education

Check out this fact sheet  for more information about teaching people to call 911. 

Recipe Book for Kitchen Safety

This printable recipe book was created by the Minnesota State Fire Chiefs Public Education Committee. 

Red Cross

The Red Cross will partner with you for smoke alarm installations and provide the alarms for free. Find your local chapter here. 

The Home Fire Risk Map is a planning resource to improve regional in-home and smoke alarm installation by helping to identify vulnerable communities across the country. 

Presentations

Let the Home Fire Safety Patrol help you teach students how smoke alarms help families stay safe from home fire. Here is a link to Sound Off with the Home Fire Safety Patrol.

Fire Safety for Older Adults 
College Fire Safety Presentation 
Fire Safety & Prevention 
Winter Fire Safety  
 

Materials generator

The Materials Generator is a new tool that allows departments to generate customized door hangers, fliers and activity guides using proven fire safety messages with your own department logo and contact information. The tool was developed by a team of fire safety and communications experts to help enhance your community risk reduction programs. You can find the Materials Generator on the Vision 20/20 website. 
 

Public Education Props

Through various grants. The Minnesota state fire Chiefs Public Education Committee has various props available to rent. These props includes two kitchen fire safety live demonstration units, an interactive kitchen education simulator, a safety hopper bounce house for kids, and a 911 float.
 

Burn demonstrations

Side-by-side burn demonstrations are available through the National Fire Sprinkler Association. Learn more about scheduling a burn for your event here.
 

Sparky the Fire Dog

Let Sparky the Fire Dog help you. Sparky the Fire Dog is perfect for fire department officials teaching fire and life safety to children because it can communicate with them on their level. Sparky is not available to the general public.


Burn Institute's interactive website

The Burn Institute's Fire Safe Kid website is a fun, interactive place for kids to learn all about fire and burn prevention. 

Firetrap
Firetrap is a game designed to teach children to quickly get out of the house in case of a fire.
 

Toys and tools: A lesson for children 

Consider teaching young children about tools and toys. Here is a lesson plan and directions  on making your own tool and toy kit boxes.​​​​
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