Community Risk Reduction - Shaping the Department's Direction and Public Education Programs

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Community Risk Reduction - Shaping the Department's Direction and Public Education Programs
Derrick Sawyer, Philadelphia Fire Department Derrick Phillips, St. Louis Fire Department Stephen Grasso, Sunrise Fire Rescue

Members of the Urban Fire and Life Safety Task Force will discuss ways to overcome the challenges faced when meeting with the Fire Chief to share CRR ideas and concerns. Because getting the Chief on board is just the first phase of the work, a case study will outline the steps Sunrise Fire Rescue used to start a community risk reduction program. The fire chief and fire planner will detail the process, research, and data collection used in the decision-making process.

Presented by:

Derrick Sawyer, Philadelphia Fire Department
Fire Commissioner Derrick Sawyer has been a member of the Philadelphia Fire Department for 29 years. He has an AS in Fire Science, a BS in Public Safety Administration, and an MS in Homeland Security. Sawyer has augmented his academic accomplishments by graduating from the Executive Fire Officer Program at the National Fire Academy and the Carl Holmes Executive Development Institute, and he attended the Harvard Kennedy School Program for State and Local Government. He has obtained certification in the following areas: Fire Officer, Fire Service Instructor, and Fire Inspector.

Derrick Phillips, St. Louis Fire Department
Battalion Chief Derrick Phillips has served the St. Louis Fire Department for over 21 years. He currently heads the Training Academy, and is the Commanding Officer for the Office of Homeland Security. He previously served as Chief Investigator and Public Education Officer. As Public Education Officer, he authored a fire safety program designed to be taught to primary school students in the classroom. Additionally, he enhanced the smoke alarm program which has realized over 1,200 lives saved over the past 8 years. Chief Phillips holds a degree in Business Administration. He is extensively involved in professional groups as a member of the NFPA's Urban Fire Safety Task Force, a licensed EMT, a certified Fire & Explosion Investigator, and a certified Fire Service Instructor. Chief Phillips is currently an Associate Faculty member with the Energetic Materials Research and Testing Center at New Mexico Tech.

Stephen Grasso, Sunrise Fire Rescue
Stephen P. Grasso is Fire Planner for the Fire-Rescue Department in Sunrise, Florida. Prior to coming to Sunrise, he served 30 years with Lauderhill Fire-Rescue, where he retired at the rank of Battalion Chief and SWAT Medical Commander. In his role as Fire Planner, Grasso works as a business analyst dealing with performance measures, NFIRS, and GIS. He also serves with Chief DiBernardo as the DECCAN project manager for Broward County Chief's Association. He holds an AS in Fire Science from Broward College and a BA in Organizational Leadership from St. Thomas University. He has taught EMS at Palm Beach State College and Broward College for 15 years. Grasso is a member of the Broward Regional Fire RMS Committee.