What is a whistle-stop tour? A whistle-stop tour is an expression used to refer to political campaigns, especially in the United States after World War II, where candidates covered a vast amount of territory in a train, at a fast pace, in order to bring their message to the public. The most famous whistle-stop train tour in U.S. history was Harry Truman's 1948 re-election whistle-stop when he traveled 30,000 miles over the Midwest and western United States aboard his train, Magellan. Many observers credit his re-election to this whistle-stop tour.

» View: America's Fire Heroes Whistle-Stop Tour Schedule

Emmitsburg, MD, January 31, 2007 - On average two American firefighters die every week in the line of duty, leaving their loved ones (survivors) behind. Many of these deaths are preventable.

The National Fallen Firefighters Foundation is launching a nationwide whistle-stop tour to promote firefighter safety issues, with a key message of "Everyone Goes Home."

The tour, made possible thanks to a grant from The Dunkin' Brands Community Foundation, will make 20 official stops across the Nation and numerous spontaneous visits to promote firefighter safety and public fire safety with a goal of reducing the number of firefighter line-of-duty deaths by 25% within 5 years. A motor coach bus, accommodating 55 persons, will be wrapped with our message: "Everyone Goes Home." The Everyone Goes Home™ program was founded by the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation to support the United States Fire Administration's goal of reducing firefighter deaths by 50% within the next ten years.

The building blocks of the Everyone Goes Home™ program are the 16 Firefighter Life Safety Initiatives. The 16 Initiatives encapsulate real-world solutions to fire service problems regarding preventable line-of-duty deaths-including management restructure, training improvements, and specific suggestions dealing with the two leading causes of preventable line-of-duty deaths - lack of firefighter fitness and vehicle accidents.

In addition to changing the way they do business, firefighters need equipment, training, and necessary resources to implement the 16 Firefighter Life Safety Initiatives and be able to do their job safely.

The Public can help by ensuring their firefighters have the resources they need and by preventing fires from occurring.

In conjunction with the tour, the Courage To Be Safe... So Everyone Goes Home™ program will be presented in each city along the route. This provocative and moving presentation is designed to change the culture of accepting the loss of our firefighters as a normal occurrence.

The official kick-off of America's Heroes Whistle-Stop Tour will begin in San Francisco, California, on April 5, 2007. The six weekend events will be major points for rallies, preparedness fairs, training opportunities, and speeches given by local dignitaries. The weekday events will highlight local fire departments and training activities.

For additional information concerning this event please contact Andrew Dudek at Anderson Manning Media Group, adudek@andersonmanning.net. Additional sources of information may be found at www.everyonegoeshome.com and www.firehero.org.

About The Dunkin’ Brands Community Foundation

The Dunkin’ Brands Community Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Its mission is to bring the people and brands of the Dunkin’ Brands system together to support the service and leadership of those who help and protect communities every day - especially in times of crisis. The Dunkin’ Brands Community Foundation helps to support emergency response organizations so they have the capacity and leadership to respond when communities need them most.