Dear Friends and Colleagues:
The Office for People With Developmental Disabilities (OPWDD) has a responsibility to provide the trainings, supports, and resources everyone within our workforce—especially those in direct care positions—needs to successfully do their jobs.
Unfortunately, it occasionally takes a tragedy to demonstrate where weaknesses within the system exist, but with collective mindfulness and a willingness to speak out, together we are making significant progress toward preventing future incidents.
Today, I am pleased to announce the completion of a three-hour fire safety curriculum designed for all state and nonprofit provider employees, regardless of title or work location. The program focuses on the areas of fire safety awareness, prevention and hazards, and evacuation execution.
The curriculum may be found on the OPWDD website under the Talent Development and Training Online Resource library section. To assist in the training’s effectiveness, the following materials have been developed:
· Fire Safety Level One instructor guide
· PowerPoint presentation
· An instructional video available to your fire safety instructors to become acquainted with the Fire Safety Level One curriculum, and/or to be viewed directly by employees. The video includes an actual recording of the Office of Fire Prevention and Control (OFPC) led three-hour Level One curriculum, as well as a one-hour train-the-trainer segment.
· A posttest is available to monitor employees’ understanding of the knowledge presented during the training.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank the many stakeholders throughout the system who participated in the piloting of the training program. The feedback we received from participants was very insightful and critical to the finalization of the curriculum.
Lastly, I would like to acknowledge OFPC’s assistance, commitment, and support in developing this thorough Fire Safety Level One training. I strongly believe that common sense external oversight by experts strengthens our system and helps us protect the individuals we are so privileged to serve.
Additional information will be shared in the coming weeks.
Sincerely,
Commissioner Burke