Fire Prevention & FireWISE Kids

Fire Prevention and Bristol Tennessee Fire Department

Contact
Jack Spurgeon, Jr. - Assistant Chief
      Bunny Mutter  - Secretary    

Bristol Fire Department Urges Bristol Residents

to "Prevent Home Fires"

A pot holder too close to a lit burner or a space heater left on overnight could be all it takes to start a home fire. In fact, cooking and heating are among the leading causes of home fires in the United States , according to the nonprofit National Fire Protection Association (NFPA). 

That's why Bristol Fire Department is teaming up with NFPA from October 5-11 to urge Bristol residents to "Prevent Home Fires" during Fire Prevention Week. This year's campaign focuses on preventing all the leading causes of home fires – cooking, heating and electrical equipment, and smoking materials. Additionally, fire safety educators will be teaching local residents how to plan and practice escape from a home in case a fire occurs.

According the latest research from NFPA, more than 2,500 people died in home fires in the United States in 2006, and 12,500 were injured. Fire departments responded to 396,000 home fires, which accounted for 80% of civilian deaths and 76% of injuries that year.

"While the number of home fires is daunting, the good news is that many are easily preventable when residents take simple steps to increase their safety from fire," said Jack Spurgeon , Jr., Assistant Fire Chief. "Whether it's smoking outside the home, keeping space heaters at least three feet away from anything that can burn, or staying in the kitchen when you are using the stovetop, there are easy things you can do to keep your home and family safe from fire."

Do you know how to keep your home safe from fire hazards? Reviewing the following information and taking action can help you "Prevent Home Fires" during Fire Prevention Week and year-round.

• Cooking: Stay in the kitchen when you are frying, grilling, or broiling food. If you leave the kitchen for even a short period time, turn off the stove.
• Heating: Keep all things that can burn, such as paper, bedding or furniture, at least 3 feet away from heating equipment.
• Electrical: Replace cracked and damaged electrical cords; use extension cords for temporary wiring only. Consider having additional circuits or receptacles added by a qualified electrician.
• Smoking: If you smoke, smoke outside; wherever you smoke, use deep, sturdy ashtrays.

Fire Prevention Week is actively supported by fire departments across the country. For 85 years fire departments have observed Fire Prevention Week, making it the longest running public health and safety observance on record.

Fire prevention efforts by local fire departments provide the community helpful tools to reduce property loss, personal injury, and death as a result of fire.  The Bristol Tennessee Fire Department is proactive in the community, exploring all avenues to effectively educate the public on fire safety, and hopefully, serving as the catalyst to improve fire safety awareness.  A few fire statistics provided by the National Fire Protection Association are listed below:

• A fire department responded to a fire every 20 seconds.

• One structure fire was reported every 62 seconds.

• One home structure fire was reported every 83 seconds.

• One civilian fire injury was reported every 29 minutes.

• One civilian fire death occurred every 2 hours and 23 minutes.

• One outside fire was reported every 39 seconds.

• One vehicle fire was reported every 109 seconds.

Each year the Fire Prevention/Safety division of the Bristol Tennessee Fire Department assists several businesses, medical offices, nursing homes, assisted living facilities, churches, colleges, and schools in fire safety education, portable fire extinguisher training, and safe evacuation procedures.  On average, we annually train about 300 individuals in the use of portable fire extinguishers, with approximately 170 of those participating in hands on training.  Tragically, thousands of fires occur each year in on-campus and off-campus housing.  We work with King College in educating their RA's about fire safety, the importance of early evacuation, and portable fire extinguisher use.  Many of our department's personnel conduct departmental company training, in addition to teaching at the Northeast Regional Fire Academy; ensuring rookie firefighters receive the necessary training to become assets to their communities.  We also actively participate in our public and private schools, ensuring that our students know how to assist their teachers, parents, and siblings in various types of emergency situations.  We are intent upon the community knowing that any concern or emergency will be addressed quickly and adequately by the professional men and women of the Bristol Tennessee Fire Department.

Bristol Tennessee Fire Department is proud to announce the newest member of the Fire Prevention Team, Patches with his Pumper!  Patches and Pumper is an interactive robot used to teach fire safety and prevention.  To schedule an appearance by Patches and Pumper, please contact Assistant Chief Jack Spurgeon at 423-989-5701. 

Bristol Tennessee Fire Department hosts a group of extraordinary young men and women between the ages of 14 and 21 in an Explorer Program.  To learn more about this program please click on the following link:

Explorer Post

FireWISE Juvenile Firesetting Program

 Purpose

      The purpose of the FireWISE Kids Juvenile Firesetting Program is to assist the Bristol Tennessee Fire Department in providing fire safety education to youth that misuse fire.  It is important to educate all children involved in a fire play or firesetting incident about the realities of fire, appropriate and responsible uses of fire and consequences of their actions.  Educational intervention should be age appropriate and relevant to the child's life and firesetting incident.  It is equally important to educate parents so that fire safety messages can be reinforced at home. 

     Overview

     The Juvenile Firesetting Program offered through Bristol Tennessee Fire Department is a free program offered to the citizens of the community.  Depending on the severity of the incident, the program can be completed in as little as six weeks or as long as fourteen weeks.  The length of the course will also depend on how the juvenile was entered into the program.  If the juvenile was court ordered to participate in the program, then it may take longer.  We cannot do any intervention with a juvenile until the juvenile is charged through the court system and ordered to take the firesetting course.

     In years past, intervention was only offered to juveniles.  We have come to learn though, that most parents need to be taught fire prevention and fire safety as well.   Therefore, it is required that at least one, if not both parents, attend the sessions with the juvenile.  The entire family will learn the importance of fire safety in the home, how to properly perform an Exit Drill In The Home (EDITH), what you should and should not do when lighters and matches are found and other fire-related issues.

     The first session is an interview where both the juvenile and parent(s) are asked questions pertaining to the incident.  This will help the firefighters in determining what path of intervention to take.  In some cases (rarely), a child may be referred to different agencies for further assistance, such as Mental Health.  We can determine if a child has underlying problems that have pushed them into the fire play incident and these other agencies can help us to understand the needs of the child to better educate them.

     For further information on this program, please contact Firefighter/Paramedic Joy Autin, Director  of FireWISE Kids, at 423-989-5701.

Fire Safety Guide and Facts:

1. From the time a fire breaks out, a person has less than 4 minutes to escape.
2. Smoke can engulf a home in less than 10 minutes!
3. 4 out of every 5 fire deaths are from home fires.  Senior citizens and children are at higher risk.
4. Place smoke detectors in every bedroom, centrally located in hallways outside bedrooms, and one for each level of your home.
5. Smoke detectors shall be hardwired with battery back up in new dwellings and renovated areas that are accessible to be wired in.
6. Never install a smoke alarm in a kitchen, bathroom or garage where cooking fumes, steam, and exhaust fumes could set off false alarms or clog the alarm.
7. Replace batteries in your smoke detector on two important dates each year (time change, etc.).
8. Test your smoke alarm once a month.
9. Replace all smoke alarms every ten years.
10. Each home needs at least one fire extinguisher centrally located for access.
11. Consider additional extinguishers for the kitchen and garage.
12. Answer 'YES' to all of these questions before trying to fight a small fire:
    *Is everyone out? Has the fire department been called?
    *Is the fire small and contained in one area and not spreading?
    *Is there an escape route clear of obstacles and to your back?
    *Do you know how to use the extinguisher?
    *Is the room clear of smoke?
    
    Use the PASS word!
    *Pull the pin.
    *Aim the nozzle at the base of the fire.  Stand 6-10 feet away.
    *Squeeze the lever to discharge the agent.
    *Sweep the spray from left to right until flames are extinguished.
13. Place your address numbers of home or business so that they are visible from the road; 4 inch is the minimum size.
14. Make sure you have a home fire escape plan that includes a meeting place outside.
15. Besides the fact that smoke makes it difficult to see, most home fires happen at night so practice your home fire escape plan at night, also.
16. Common causes of heating fires:
    *Creosote build up in chimneys or lack of maintenance.
    *Lack of space around portable heaters.
    *Improperly installed woodstoves.
    *Use of wrong fuels.
    *32% of all deaths caused by home electrical systems are from faulty cords and plugs.
17. Arson is the second leading cause of residential fire deaths and accounts for 25% of all fires in the United States.
18. Tips to prevent arson:
    *Eliminate potential fuels.
    *Secure doors and windows.
    *Install outdoor lighting.
    *Install security systems.
    *Maintain or remove overgrown shrubs.
    *Immediately report any questionable activities.
19. Over 55% of all arrests for arson are juveniles and half of those are 4-9 years old.
20. Keep matches, lighters, and all flammables up and out of reach.
21. If your clothing is on fire, Stop where you are, Drop to the ground, and Roll back and forth to put the flames out.
22. One-fifth of all home fires in the United States start in the kitchen, and the leading cause of home cooking fires and injuries is unattended cooking.
23. Consider escape ladders for upstairs rooms.
24. Plan two ways to escape from every room in your home.
25. Practice your escape plan at least twice a year.
26. Once you are out, stay out!
27. If you must exit through smoke, crawl low under the smoke to exit.
28. If there is a closed door in your escape route, first check to see if it is warm to determine whether to open it.
29. If smoke, heat and flames block your exit routes, keep the door closed and call the fire department and tell them where you are.

More Safety Tips For Your Home and Office:

• Do not stack papers on top of computer monitors; give heat-producing equipment room to breathe.
• Do not allow furniture to pinch extension cords and do not plug extension cords into each other.
• Make sure gasoline, paint thinner, and other flammable liquids are stored in proper containers outside your home.
• If people smoke in your home, provide a large, deep non-tip ashtray and wet cigarette butts before throwing them away.
  

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Photos Courtesy of Malcolm J. Wilson and Bristol News Paper 
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