Community Risk Reduction (CRR)
Fire departments are uniquely positioned to know their communities better than most other organizations. Firefighters and emergency medical services responders see firsthand, whether through medical calls, inspections or simply driving through the community, how people live and the needs they have.
The 5E’s
CRR uses a wide variety of tools to form a strategic and integrated program focused on reducing the occurrence and impact of local risks. The “5 E’s” is one of the strategies used to combat local fire and preventable injury issues. When using this or any other strategy, be intentional about reducing your community’s risk: base your approach on data that you collected through your risk assessment and then focus on that specific risk(s):
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Education makes the public aware of risks and how to mitigate them.
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Engineering provides an opportunity to work with local organizations and government to promote new fire and life safety technologies in your community.
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Enforcement identifies potential risks and non-compliance in your local properties and teaches your community how fire and building codes protect them.
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Economic incentives can be useful to encourage individuals and businesses to make choices that reduce risk.
- Emergency response protects your community and your firefighters by ensuring they have the equipment and training they need.