"It Happened in Seconds" Firefighter Burn Prevention Program: Evaluation of a "Train the Trainer" Course.

MedStar author(s):
Citation: Journal of Burn Care & Research. 37(1):e33-6, 2016 Jan-Feb.PMID: 26284648Institution: MedStar Washington Hospital CenterDepartment: Nursing | Surgery/Burn ServicesForm of publication: Journal ArticleMedline article type(s): Journal ArticleSubject headings: *Burns/pc [Prevention & Control] | *Curriculum | *Firefighters/ed [Education] | Adult | Awareness | Female | Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice | Humans | Male | Middle Aged | Program Evaluation | United StatesYear: 2016Local holdings: Available online through MWHC library: 2006 - present, Available in print through MWHC library: 2006 - presentISSN:
  • 1559-047X
Name of journal: Journal of burn care & research : official publication of the American Burn AssociationAbstract: Each year, there are approximately 100 firefighter fatalities and tens of thousands of injuries in the United States. 'It Happened in Seconds' is a firefighter burn injury awareness program offered to firefighters nationwide. The course focuses on situational awareness, personal protective equipment, and burn injury prevention. In order to create more instructors, a 'Train the Trainer' instructor course was developed to prepare experienced firefighters and healthcare providers from around the United States to teach firefighters in their respective communities. This study evaluates trainees' perception of the instructor course. Three instructor courses were held in a period between November 2013 and January 2015. Trainees were asked to complete both precourse/postcourse assessments and provide demographics. In both surveys, trainees rated their confidence to instruct firefighters about burn prevention and their awareness about firefighter-specific burn issues using a 5-point Likert Scale (1 = none and 5 = high). The postassessment asked if trainees thought the course should be mandatory for all firefighters. Pretest and post-test scores were compared using a Wilcoxon's signed-rank test. A total of 140 experienced firefighters and healthcare professionals completed the Train the Trainer course. The average age was 40 +/- 9 years, and 41 were women and 99 men. The average trainee had 13.6 +/- 9 years experience in his or her respective job and 11 +/- 9 years experience in burn care. Trainees reported a significant increase in their confidence to instruct firefighters about burn prevention (2.9/5 precourse vs. 4.5/5 postcourse, P < .0001) and in their current awareness of firefighter-specific burn issues (3.2 precourse vs. 4.4 postcourse, P < .0001). In the postcourse assessment, 139 of 140 respondents agreed that the 'It Happened in Seconds' course should be mandatory for all firefighters. This study showed that experienced firefighters and healthcare professionals thought that the course significantly improved their awareness level of issues specific to firefighter burn injury as well as their confidence in teaching these concepts to firefighters. Based on this positive evaluation, additional instructors will be trained to provide the course to all firefighters nationwide. Additional research must be conducted to evaluate whether the 'It Happened in Seconds' course results in a decreased rate of firefighter burn injuries.All authors: Held JM, Hollowed KA, Holmes JH 4th, Kahn SA, Woods JFiscal year: 2016Digital Object Identifier: Date added to catalog: 2017-03-06
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Item type Current library Collection Call number Status Date due Barcode
Journal Article MedStar Authors Catalog Article 26284648 Available 26284648

Available online through MWHC library: 2006 - present, Available in print through MWHC library: 2006 - present

Each year, there are approximately 100 firefighter fatalities and tens of thousands of injuries in the United States. 'It Happened in Seconds' is a firefighter burn injury awareness program offered to firefighters nationwide. The course focuses on situational awareness, personal protective equipment, and burn injury prevention. In order to create more instructors, a 'Train the Trainer' instructor course was developed to prepare experienced firefighters and healthcare providers from around the United States to teach firefighters in their respective communities. This study evaluates trainees' perception of the instructor course. Three instructor courses were held in a period between November 2013 and January 2015. Trainees were asked to complete both precourse/postcourse assessments and provide demographics. In both surveys, trainees rated their confidence to instruct firefighters about burn prevention and their awareness about firefighter-specific burn issues using a 5-point Likert Scale (1 = none and 5 = high). The postassessment asked if trainees thought the course should be mandatory for all firefighters. Pretest and post-test scores were compared using a Wilcoxon's signed-rank test. A total of 140 experienced firefighters and healthcare professionals completed the Train the Trainer course. The average age was 40 +/- 9 years, and 41 were women and 99 men. The average trainee had 13.6 +/- 9 years experience in his or her respective job and 11 +/- 9 years experience in burn care. Trainees reported a significant increase in their confidence to instruct firefighters about burn prevention (2.9/5 precourse vs. 4.5/5 postcourse, P < .0001) and in their current awareness of firefighter-specific burn issues (3.2 precourse vs. 4.4 postcourse, P < .0001). In the postcourse assessment, 139 of 140 respondents agreed that the 'It Happened in Seconds' course should be mandatory for all firefighters. This study showed that experienced firefighters and healthcare professionals thought that the course significantly improved their awareness level of issues specific to firefighter burn injury as well as their confidence in teaching these concepts to firefighters. Based on this positive evaluation, additional instructors will be trained to provide the course to all firefighters nationwide. Additional research must be conducted to evaluate whether the 'It Happened in Seconds' course results in a decreased rate of firefighter burn injuries.

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