Tyrone N. Butts
APE Reporter
New federal program targets Alabama's black community
(MONTGOMERY, Ala.-AP) June 30 - Firefighter Johnny Brewington is on a mission -- preventing deadly residential fires in minority neighborhoods.
Brewington heads the International Association of Black Professional Firefighters, which is partnering with the U.S. Fire Administration in a new program to reduce the number of black children killed in fires in Alabama and elsewhere.
The Multicultural Fire Safety Campaign for Babies and Toddlers starts Wednesday and targets 20 states throughou
the country that account for 88 percent of the national black population.
A study by the Fire Administration found that fires and burns were the leading cause of death for black children under f
ive from 1989 to 1998, killing 2,217 nationwide. Sixty-thre
e of those deaths occurred in Alabama.
Maryland and Illinois had the highest rates of fire deaths for black children among the targeted states. The safety campaign will provide a variety of educational materials, including videos and brochures, to fire departments and other groups in high-risk communities.
**************
Burn, Baby Burn!
T.N.B.
(MONTGOMERY, Ala.-AP) June 30 - Firefighter Johnny Brewington is on a mission -- preventing deadly residential fires in minority neighborhoods.
Brewington heads the International Association of Black Professional Firefighters, which is partnering with the U.S. Fire Administration in a new program to reduce the number of black children killed in fires in Alabama and elsewhere.
The Multicultural Fire Safety Campaign for Babies and Toddlers starts Wednesday and targets 20 states throughou
the country that account for 88 percent of the national black population.
A study by the Fire Administration found that fires and burns were the leading cause of death for black children under f
ive from 1989 to 1998, killing 2,217 nationwide. Sixty-thre
e of those deaths occurred in Alabama.
Maryland and Illinois had the highest rates of fire deaths for black children among the targeted states. The safety campaign will provide a variety of educational materials, including videos and brochures, to fire departments and other groups in high-risk communities.
**************
Burn, Baby Burn!
T.N.B.
