Central County Fire and Rescue has been presented with a Life Safety Achievement Award for the year 2007 by the Residential Fire Safety Institute (RFSI).

The award was announced by Roy L. Marshall, Director of the RFSI. For 15 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 Central County Fire and Rescue qualified for this award in year 2007 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 745* fire departments in the U.S., Italy and Iceland received the 2007 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. “The Life Safety Achievement Award recognizes fire departments for their fire prevention efforts and encourages them to continually improve those efforts.” “Central County Fire and Rescue conducted public fire education events that trained 14,962 adults and 13,998 children in 2007,” Fire Chief Russell K. Mason said. “Our District has always been and will continue to be committed to furthering the fire safety education of our citizens.”

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 behaviors. The RFSI assists fire departments with implementing residential sprinkler/smoke detector 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 interest in and commitment to residential fire safety.

For more information or if you have any questions please contact Assistant Chief Steve Brown at 636-262-9503 or Roy L. Marshall, Director of the RSFI at 712-829-2734.