Fire Department

Fire Prevention: Safety and Community Education Programs

 

fire extinguisher training
An employee gets hands-on experience with properly using a fire extinguisher.
A fire community event
Local students finishes up touring a fire truck with firefighters.
fire prevention class
The department’s public affairs specialist teaches the "Remembering When" program to mature adults.

Winter Weather Safety Tips


The Durham Fire Department urges residents to exercise caution when entering the winter months and preparing holiday meals. According to the United States Fire Administration (USFA), about 1,650 people are injured annually during the holiday season, approximately 400 are killed, and about $990 million worth of damage is left—all due to holiday fires. To help prevent your holiday celebration ending in disaster, the Durham Fire Department offers the following holiday safety tips.

  • Use a timer as a reminder that the oven is on.
  • Stay alert, avoid cooking while drowsy or drinking alcohol.
  • Keep pot holders, oven mitts, paper and plastic off the stove top.
  • Wear clothing with sleeves that are close fitting or short.
  • Do not turn up the heat in the oven to speed up turkey-cooking time, this could be a fire hazard.
  • Never hold a small child while cooking.

Other Safety Tips


  • Turkey fryers should always be used outdoors, a safe distance from buildings.
  • Never use turkey fryers on wooden decks or in garages.
  • Partially frozen turkeys placed into the fryer can cause a spillover effect. This may result in an extensive fire.
  • Make sure you have a working fire extinguisher within easy reach.
  • Keep a lid nearby when you’re cooking to smother small grease fires. Smother the fire by sliding the lid over the pan and turn off the stovetop.
  • For an oven fire, turn off the heat and keep the oven door closed.
  • When in doubt, get out and stay out. Call 911 from a neighbor’s house.

Kerosene Heaters


  • Be sure your heater is in good working condition. Inspect exhaust parts for carbon buildup. Be sure the heater has an emergency shut off in case the heater it tipped over.
  • Never use fuel burning appliances without proper room, venting. Burning fuel (coal or kerosene or propane, for example) can produce deadly fumes.
  • Use ONLY the fuel recommended by the heater manufacturer. Never introduce a fuel into a unit not designed for that type of fuel.
  • Keep kerosene, or other flammable liquids stored in approved metal containers in well ventilated storage areas, outside of the house.
  • Never fill the heater while it is operating or hot. When refueling an oil or kerosene unit, avoid overfilling. Do not use cold fuel for it may expand in the tank as it warms up.
  • Refueling should be done outside of the home.
  • Keep children away from space heaters.

Wood burning Stoves and Fireplaces


  • Be sure the fireplace or stove is installed properly. Woodstoves should be of good quality, solid construction and design, and should be UL listed.
  • Have the chimney inspected annually and cleaned if necessary, especially if it has not been used for some time.
  • Do not use flammable liquids to start or accelerate any fire.
  • Keep glass or metal screen in front of the fireplace opening, to prevent embers or sparks from jumping out, unwanted materials from going in, and help prevent the possibility of burns to occupants.
  • Don’t use excessive amounts of paper to build roaring fires in fireplaces.
  • Never burn charcoal indoors. Burning charcoal can give off lethal amount of carbon monoxide.
  • Keep flammable materials away from your fireplace mantel. A spark from the fireplace could easily ignite these materials.
  • Before you go to sleep, be sure your fireplace fire is out. Never close you damper with hot ashes I the fireplace. A closed damper will help the fire to heat up again and will force toxic carbon monoxide into the house.
  • If synthetic logs are used, follow the directions on the package. Never break a synthetic log apart to quicken the fire or use more than one log at a time. They often burn unevenly, releasing higher levels of carbon monoxide.
  • Never discard hot ashes inside or near the home. Place them in a metal container outside and well away from the house.

Furnace Heating


  • Be sure all furnace controls and emergency shutoffs are in proper working condition.
  • Leave furnace repairs to qualified specialists. Do not attempt repairs yourself unless you are qualified.
  • Inspect the walls and ceiling near the furnace and along the chimney line. If the wall is hot or discolored, additional pipe insulation or clearance may be required.
  • Check the flue pipe and pipe seams. Are they will supported, free of holes, and cracks? Soot along or around seams may be an indicator of a leak.
  • Is the chimney solid, with cracks or loose bricks? All unused flue opening should be sealed with solid masonry.
  • Keep trash and other combustibles away from the heating system.

Additional Safety Tips


  • If you use an electrical heater, be sure not to overload the circuit. Only use extension cords which have the necessary rating to carry the amp load.
  • Avoid using electrical space heaters in bathrooms, or other areas where they may come into contact with water.
  • Frozen water pipes? Never try to thaw them with a blow torch or other open flame. The pipe could conduct heat and ignite the wall structure inside the wall space. Use hot water or a UL labeled device such as a hand held dryer for thawing.
  • If windows are used as emergency exits in your home, practice using them in the event fire should strike. Be sure that all the windows open easily. Home escape ladders are recommended.
  • If there is a fire hydrant near your home, you can assist the fire department by keeping the hydrant clear of snow so in the event it’s needed, it can be located.
  • Be sure every level of your home has a working smoke alarm, and be sure to check and clean it on a monthly basis.
  • Plan and practice a home escape plan with the entire family.

 

Public Affairs Specialist/ Public Information Officer
Sierra Jackson
(919) 560-4242, ext. 19242

Community Fire Education is one of the most vital areas in the fire service. Through education and awareness, individuals learn to recognize fire hazards and correct them. The Durham Fire Department strives to share the basics of fire prevention with citizens in order to prevent tragic incidences by fire. We work to achieve this goal by offering fire and life safety programs and resources for children, adults, seniors, teachers, and the general public.

The program creates a stronger link between the fire department and the community by instituting outreach programs such as the "Learn Not to Burn" and the "Remembering When" programs, and the smoke detector campaign. Emphasis is placed on tailoring the specific program needs of the requestor. The fire department also provides blood pressure checks.

All programs and community events are available upon request. A 30-day advance notice is required.

Programs include:

Pre-Fire Planning

Fire personnel will inspect your residence or business to determine fire safety needs, recommend suggestions based on the results, and assist with planning an evacuation route in the event of a fire.

Fire Extinguisher Training

The Durham Fire Department offers free hands-on fire extinguisher training for businesses, homeowners, organizations, and any adult interested in learning the benefits of fire extinguishers and their use. Fuel and extinguishers must be provided.

Ride-Along Program

The Durham Fire Department can provide a unique experience for individuals with an interest in becoming a firefighter. A ride-along offers a first-hand look at firefighting as a career, and provides special insight into what it takes to make a firefighting dream a reality.

*Participants of the ride along are only allowed to observe, and may not participate on emergency calls. A waiver form must be signed and the fire chief must approve participation.

Remembering When Program

The "Remembering When" program is designed prevent and/or reduce falls often experienced by senior adults. The program also addresses fire safety concerns specific to the senior population. Presentations can be tailored for individuals or large groups. The program includes:

Fall Prevention:

  • Look out for yourself
  • Tread carefully
  • Slippery when wet
  • Exercise regularly
  • Take your time
  • Clear the way
  • Throw rugs can throw you
  • Best foot forward

Fire Prevention:

  • Maintain Smoke Alarms
  • Plan and practice an escape plan
  • Give space heaters space
  • Wear fitted clothing when cooking
  • If you smoke, use large, deep ashtrays
  • Stop, drop, and roll

Learn Not to Burn Program

Learn Not to Burn is a curriculum intended for use by school teachers in planning classroom activities and can be re-used from year to year. It incorporates fire safety behaviors into regular school subjects, so youngsters absorb life-saving information while developing skills in reading, math, art, history, and science. Each lesson includes background fire safety information for teachers, discussion points, and reproducible activity sheets that can be integrated into classroom subjects such as language arts, math, art, health/safety and science.

Also included are evaluation forms to test students' fire safety knowledge both before and after the new program has been implemented. As an added bonus, fire department personnel can visit your class to reinforce the covered materials.

Learn Not to Burn Preschool Program

The "Learn Not to Burn" preschool program uses original songs, games, and activities to teach eight basic fire and burn prevention behaviors to children ages 3-5. The lessons in the program are short, simple, and encourage active participation. The program includes a 60-page teacher's guide featuring detailed lesson plans, fire safety background information, letters to parents and reproducible coloring sheets. Each lesson is reinforced with a lively, easy-to-learn fire safety song included on a compact disc of original music. Fire department personnel are available to visit classes to reinforce the covered materials.

Fire Station Tours

The Durham Fire Department provides fire station tours to individuals, civic groups, and classes. Individuals may have a look at fire equipment, apparatus, and living areas of the fire station. Fire safety information is also shared.

Smoke Detector Program

The Durham Fire Department will install a smoke detector in your home free of charge. This special service has been designed to meet the special needs of senior citizens and low income households, but is provided to anyone in need.

Fire Safety Presentations

The Durham Fire Department can conduct a fire safety presentation for any audience. The program can be tailored for businesses, health care facilities, hotels, restaurants, places of assembly, and the workplace.

Education for Firefighters

Firefighters are an at-risk population for asbestos exposure because a majority of buildings were insulated with the toxic material from the 1920s to the 1970s. As these buildings burn, exposure becomes a bigger risk with asbestos laying dormant in the body for up to 50 years, leading to mesothelioma cancer.

Visit www.asbestos.com or asbestos.com/states/north-carolina/ for information.