Staff: Carla MacDonald, Healthy and Safe Communities Department
Faculty: Margaret Secord & Shahad Al-Saqqar, Health Sciences Program at McMaster University
Problem Description: For the Hamilton Fire Department, public awareness and education is an important tool in ensuring public safety and helping limit the loss of life and property. An effective and targeted public education program must take into consideration both the types/causes of incidents the Fire Department is responding to and the changing demographics of the City. Furthermore, an assessment of the effectiveness of public education activities is required in order to know if risks have been reduced and/or if behaviour has changed.
Challenge Statement: What demographic characteristics correspond to the types and locations of fire-related calls that the Fire Department responds to? I.e. Where are our incidents occurring, to whom and why? And, how effective have public education activities undertaken by the Fire Department been? Why were they effective or why were they not effective?
Goal Area: Healthy Neighbourhoods
City Strategy Alignment: Healthy and Safe Communities
