Fire Prevention Week: 10 ways AI can support your community outreach

Fire Prevention Week, led by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), is one of the busiest times of the year for fire department public information officers and community risk reduction teams. From school visits to media outreach, the workload can stack up fast. The good news: AI can help lighten the load by handling some of the more time-consuming parts of work — writing, designing and planning — so your crews can focus more on actual community engagement. Below are practical ways AI can help, plus sample prompts you can copy and paste directly into your favorite AI tool.

For more information about Fire Prevention Week and additional resources related to this year’s theme, “Charge into Fire Safety: Lithium-Ion Batteries in Your Home,” visit the NFPA website.

1. Outsource: Curated content generation

Creating copy for press releases, web posts and social media can eat up hours. AI makes it easier by drafting polished, ready-to-use language you can fact-check and tailor to your community. That way, firefighters and PIOs can spend less time at the keyboard and more time out in the community.

Steps:

1. Identify your audience (e.g., families, seniors, renters).
2. Gather key details (dates, stats, targeted message).
3. Ask AI to draft content.
4. Review, fact-check and adjust tone.

Sample prompts:

• “Create a short Facebook post aimed at nursing home staff about their role in ensuring residents understand evacuation procedures.”
• “Create a short, friendly Instagram caption for college students about safe cooking in dorm kitchens during Fire Prevention Week.”
• “Draft a social media caption encouraging families to talk with their loved ones in nursing homes about fire safety during Fire Prevention Week.”
• “Create a short Instagram caption for renters about testing smoke alarms and notifying building management if they aren’t working.”

2. Outsource: Graphic design

Departments often don’t have a graphic designer on staff. AI tools can turn your logo, theme and event details into professional flyers, posters and social graphics in minutes — no Photoshop expertise required.

Steps:

1. Upload logos and department color codes. Not sure of your color codes? Use this free site to upload an image and find the exact hex key — a 6-digit code unique to each color — to provide AI as show in the example below.
2. Describe what you’re looking to create and ask AI for design options.
3. Review readability and accessibility. Ask AI for adjustments until it fits your needs.
4. Download images to print and pass out or share online.

Sample prompts:

• “Design a bilingual flyer for our Fire Prevention Week open house. Use a family-friendly tone. Include our department logo, the date and time (Oct. 8, 12–4 p.m.) and the NFPA theme ‘Charge into Fire Safety: Lithium-ion Batteries in Your Home.” The flyer should be easy to read, with clear contact info at the bottom.”
• “Create a square social media graphic for Fire Prevention Week focused on apartment fire safety. Use bold, high-contrast text with the message ‘Know two ways out — don’t block exits.’ Add a simple illustration of an apartment hallway with clear exit signage. Include our department logo in the corner.”

BONUS: Ask AI to create an infographic based on best practices related to the year’s theme. For example, here’s an inforgraphic related to this year’s theme, “Charge into Fire Safety: Lithium-Ion Batteries in Your Home”:

3. Outsource: Video scripting

Short videos are one of the best ways to reach today’s audiences, but scripting can be tough. AI can draft clear, concise PSAs or school-focused clips that firefighters can record quickly.

Steps:

1. Choose a safety tip.
2. Ask AI for a short script.
3. Record with firefighters on camera.
4. Share on your social channels.

Sample prompts:

• “Write a 45-second video script for Fire Prevention Week where a firefighter explains how quickly kitchen fires can start and gives three safety tips: Stay in the kitchen when cooking, keep a lid nearby to smother grease fires, and never use water on a grease fire. End with the firefighter inviting viewers to visit our Fire Prevention Week open house on Oct. 8.”
• “Create a 1-minute video script for Fire Prevention Week aimed at parents with young children. A firefighter explains the importance of making and practicing a home escape plan, knowing two exits and having a meeting place outside. Add a call to action to download a free escape plan worksheet from the department’s website.”

4. Outsource: Translation services

Many communities speak multiple languages. AI translation allows departments to push out materials that reach all residents, not just English speakers. Adding translated flyers, posts or captions shows inclusiveness and builds trust.

Steps:

1. Identify top community languages.
2. Translate flyers and posts.
3. Confirm accuracy with a community partner.
4. Share bilingual versions.

Sample prompts:

• “Translate this Fire Prevention Week flyer into Spanish at a sixth-grade reading level.”
• “Provide a Vietnamese translation of this fire safety checklist.”

5. Outsource: Predictive analytics

Every city has fire risks that repeat — whether it’s cooking fires in certain apartments or heater fires in older neighborhoods. AI can analyze your data and point to hotspots, so you know where to focus Fire Prevention Week activities.

Steps:

1. Review past fire data.
2. Upload to AI.
3. Ask AI to find trends.
4. Focus events in higher-risk areas.

Sample prompts:

• “Analyze our last five years of fire incident reports. Identify which neighborhoods have the highest rates of cooking fires, electrical fires and smoke alarm failures. Create a simple heatmap we can use to target Fire Prevention Week outreach events in the most at-risk areas.”
• “Based on this call history, suggest the top three locations in our jurisdiction where Fire Prevention Week school visits, community events, or door-to-door canvassing would make the biggest impact. Provide a step-by-step outreach plan for each location.”

6. Outsource: Chatbots

Residents often ask the same questions: “What time is the open house?” “How do I get a smoke alarm installed?” AI-powered chatbots can answer FAQs around the clock, freeing staff from fielding repetitive calls.

Steps:

1. Gather FAQs.
2. Ask AI to create responses and edit for accuracy.
3. Install a chatbot on your website or Facebook page using a free service, such as ManyChat, Chatfuel or BotPenguin.
4. Update regularly.

Sample prompts:

• “Create a chatbot script answering FAQs like ‘What time is the open house?’ and ‘Where can I get a free smoke alarm?’”
• “Write short, clear answers to the top five fire prevention questions families ask.”

7. Outsource: Customized lesson plans

Firefighters visiting schools often need age-appropriate materials. AI can generate lesson plans, activities and worksheets that meet kids at their level while reinforcing Fire Prevention Week’s theme.

Steps:

1. Choose grade levels.
2. Ask AI to generate age-appropriate activities.
3. Review for accuracy and local standards.
4. Print or share with teachers.
5. Bonus: Ask AI to turn any lesson into an infographic or comic that can be made into magnets or posters.

Sample prompts:

• “Create a 25-minute Fire Prevention Week lesson plan for second-graders. Include a short story or scenario about a child practicing a home escape plan, a hands-on activity where students draw a map of their house with two exits, and a simple worksheet teachers can send home to parents. Keep language clear and age-appropriate.”
• “Develop a 40-minute lesson plan for middle school students about fire risks from cooking, electronics and vaping. Include a short group discussion, a set of five quiz questions, and a demonstration activity students can do in class to identify hazards in a sample room layout. Tie the lesson back to Fire Prevention Week’s theme.”

8. Outsource: Email/newsletter campaign optimization

AI can help sharpen your outreach through both email and community newsletters. Instead of guessing what subject lines or headlines will grab attention, AI can suggest options, refine tone for different audiences and even draft short articles or blurbs that fit the style of local school, senior center or neighborhood newsletters. This makes it easier to get consistent prevention messages in front of residents where they’re already paying attention.

Steps:

1. Segment email lists.
2. Draft 3–5 email messages.
3. Use AI to suggest subject lines and best send times.
4. Send and track results.

Sample prompts:

• “Write a four-part email series for families in our community leading up to Fire Prevention Week. Email 1 should introduce the theme and stress the importance of smoke alarms. Email 2 should provide a printable home escape plan template. Email 3 should promote our department’s open house on Oct. 8. Email 4 should thank families for participating and encourage them to share prevention tips with neighbors. Keep the tone warm and community-centered.”
• “Draft a 500-word Fire Prevention Week article for our community newsletter. Include the year’s NFPA theme, three easy prevention tips families can do at home, and an invitation to our department’s open house on Oct. 8. Write in plain language that works for all age groups.”
• “Create a three-email campaign for seniors in our community during Fire Prevention Week. The first email should highlight common risks for older adults, like space heaters and cooking fires. The second should promote free smoke alarm installation services and list a phone number to request help. The third should share simple daily safety reminders. Use larger fonts, straightforward language, and a respectful, helpful tone.”
• “Write a 300-word Fire Prevention Week announcement for a school district newsletter. Focus on why fire drills matter, share a printable family escape plan link and highlight that firefighters will be visiting schools during the week. Tone should be upbeat and student-friendly.”

9. Outsource: Community surveys

Surveys can be a simple but powerful way to learn what your community knows — and doesn’t know — about fire safety. Instead of guessing where the gaps are, you can use AI to draft questions, distribute them online and then quickly analyze results. This saves your department time and gives you concrete data to back up your outreach.

Steps:

1. Define what you want to measure (awareness, habits).
2. Ask AI to create survey questions.
3. Share via QR codes and social media.
4. Summarize results.

Sample prompts:

• “Write a five-question community survey for Fire Prevention Week focused on home escape planning and smoke alarm use.”
• “Summarize these survey responses in three key findings and suggest prevention messages we can use for outreach.”
• “Draft a short thank-you message for residents who completed the Fire Prevention Week survey, with a link to resources.”

This approach does more than check a box — it gives you actionable insight. For example, if you find 60% of residents don’t have a meeting place in their escape plan, that becomes your headline prevention message for the week.

Fire Prevention Week

Since 1922, the NFPA has sponsored the public observance of Fire Prevention Week, a week during which children, adults and teachers learn how to stay safe in case of a fire. Firefighters provide lifesaving public education in an effort to drastically decrease casualties caused by fires. Fire Prevention Week is observed each year during the week of Oct. 9 in commemoration of the Great Chicago Fire, which began on Oct. 8, 1871.

October 02, 2018 01:15 AM

BONUS: Out-of-the-box ideas

Looking to do something unique? Check out these AI-ready options:

1. Augmented reality fire safety tours

• Prompt: “Design an augmented reality home safety walk-through where families identify fire hazards in each room.”

2. Voice assistants

• Prompt: “Create five daily Alexa reminders for Fire Prevention Week, each under 15 seconds.”

3. Personalized safety checklists

• Prompt: “Generate a customized home fire safety checklist for a family of four living in a two-story house with a gas stove.”

4. AI-driven storytelling

• Prompt: “Write a bedtime story for 6-year-olds featuring a firefighter teaching a child about stop, drop and roll.”

5. Interactive quizzes and games

• Prompt: “Create a 10-question online quiz about kitchen fire safety for middle school students, with feedback for each answer.”

Fire Prevention Week doesn’t have to mean weeks of extra work. AI can take care of the busywork — writing, designing and analyzing — so firefighters can spend more time doing what matters most: connecting with the community.

FireRescue1 is using generative AI to create some content that is edited and fact-checked by our editors.