Fire Prevention/Public Education

 

Fire Prevention Bureau assists residents, businesses

The Miami Township Fire Department’s Fire Prevention Bureau is responsible for all fire prevention demonstrations, tours and fire prevention education. This active bureau within the department also provides complete plan review and inspection services for the purpose of enforcing the Township’s adopted Ohio Fire Code.

Two individuals staff the Fire Prevention Bureau full-time:

• Deputy Chief Joe Mclean:

Under the direction of Chief Mclean, Fire Department Inspectors inspect approximately 1100 Miami Township businesses each year. Inspections are completed on each occupancy, and many items are checked to assure the safety of the residents of—and visitors to—Miami Township.

• Lieutenant Dale Fahrney:

Under the direction of Chief Mclean, Lieutenant Dale Fahrney works with  all buildings under construction. Each building goes through a comprehensive plan review process that checks to make sure the construction is compliant with current codes and standards.. Through review, enforcement and correction procedures, the Township has maintained an outstanding record of minor loss to property and life due to fire.

Miami Township has approximately 25 career and part-time certified fire inspectors who assist the bureau in completing inspections of township businesses and homes.

Fire prevention programs and activities

Programs offered by the Fire Prevention Bureau include:

• Fire extinguisher training:

The Miami Township Fire Department holds several fire extinguisher training classes each year for business employees as well as for residents.

• Fire prevention activities:

To educate residents about fire safety and prevention, the Fire Prevention Bureau holds demonstrations during Fire Prevention Week in October each year.

• “Change Your Clock; Change Your Battery”:

This program encourages residents to change their smoke detector batteries at the same time they change their clocks for Daylight Saving Time.

 

• Free smoke detectors:

Thanks to the generous contributions of Miami Township businesses, free smoke detectors are available on a limited basis—first come, first served. Information is provided to learn where to place smoke detectors properly in your home, and how to maintain them. The Miami Township Fire Department has also given out weather radios to area merchants, restaurants, nursing homes and hotels to alert residents and consumers in the event of dangerous weather.

 

 

• Free smoke detector batteries:

Through this program, we will replace smoke detector batteries— at no cost—for the elderly, handicapped, and all Miami Township residents.

• Fire prevention demonstrations:

Each year, during Fire Prevention Week, the Fire Department has an open house at each station to give Miami Township residents an opportunity to stop in and meet their firefighters/paramedics, as well as see the fire equipment. We also hold several demonstrations each year, ranging from vehicle (auto) extrication to a rope rescue demonstration. Your group is welcome to tour any of our fire stations; just call ahead and make an appointment. If you are planning a special event, such as a block party in your neighborhood, let us know and we will bring equipment, paramedics and firefighters to your location. Fire service personnel are also available to speak to your group or organization.

 

 

• Fire safety inspections:

One of our 26 certified fire safety inspectors will visit your home or business, check for potential fire safety hazards, and offer suggestions on how you can make your home or work environment safer for everyone. This visit includes inspection for known fire hazards and the adequate operation of smoke detectors.

• “Exit drills in the home (E.D.I.T.H.)”:

Each family member must know what to do in the event of a fire in their home. Unless a small fire can be easily controlled, it is recommended that fighting the fire be left to professional firefighters and that family members escape safely from the home.

 

 

A home escape plan must be created and practiced so that each person knows exactly what to do. It also is important to practice Exit Drills In The Home (EDITH). Most residential fires occur between 8 p.m. and 8 a.m. Deaths from residential fires occur in greater numbers between midnight and 4 a.m. when most people are asleep. An average of 800 fires strike residential buildings each day in the United States. More than 4,000 persons die each year from fire - more than half of them children and senior citizens. The majority of these deaths are in home fires. Regardless of the cause of the fire, a home may be filled with smoke. This is a very dangerous situation. Family members may be unable to see very well. The smoke and toxic gases may cause dizziness and disorientation. In the confusion, one can easily become lost or trapped in the home. Family members must understand that their safety depends upon quickly leaving the home. It has been proven that exit drills reduce chances of panic and injury in fires and that trained and informed people have a much better chance to survive fires in their home.

The first step in escaping a fire in the home is to plan ahead. By installing smoke detectors in the home and being sure they are in good working order, family members can be alerted to the presence of smoke or fire before it is too late. Together, family members can decide on an escape plan in the event of a fire in the home. Bedroom doors should be closed while people are sleeping. It takes fire 10 to 15 minutes to burn through a wooden door. That's 10 to 15 minutes more for the inhabitant to escape. Next, family members should visit each bedroom and figure out two escape routes -

  1. The normal exit
  2. The other exit through a door or a window

Plan an Escape Route

Each member of the family should know how to get safely outside by at least two routes. Family members should practice opening their windows to become familiar with their operation. Jammed windows should be identified and repaired. If, during a fire, a window is jammed, it may be broken out with an object and a blanket or towel placed over the frame to cover shards of glass. However, it is much safer to open a window than it is to break the glass out.

Realize the Danger of Smoke

Each member of the family should understand the importance of crawling low under smoke. Smoke and heat rise so the best place to find fresher, cooler air is near the floor. When a person is caught in a building filled with smoke, they should drop on hands and knees and crawl to the nearest exit. Test all closed doors before opening them. Feel the back of the door. If it is hot, don't open it. Turn and go to the second route of exit. If the door is not hot, open slowly but be prepared to slam it closed again if there are flames.

Practice what to do if you become trapped. Since doors hold back smoke and firefighters are adept at rescue, the chances of survival are excellent. Close doors between you and the smoke. Stuff the cracks and cover vents to keep smoke out. If there's a phone, call in your exact location to the fire department even if they are on the scene. Wait at the window and signal with a sheet or flashlight or something visible.

Establish a Safe Meeting Place

A special meeting place should be established a safe distance from the house. It could be a mailbox, the neighbor's driveway or a large tree in the yard. Whatever it is, it must be something that is stationary and won't be moved (such as a car). This is where everyone meets in the event of a fire. It also prevents family members from wandering around the neighborhood looking for one another, or worse, being tempted to re-enter the burning house for one thought to be trapped inside.

Once outside at the special meeting place, a person can be sent to the neighbor's to call 9-1-1. If anyone is missing, give that information to the fire department immediately and tell them where the probable location of the missing person could be. Under no circumstances should anyone re-enter the burning building.

Provide for Those Requiring Additional Help

Special provisions may be required for infants, young children, disabled or the elderly who may need additional help when escaping. These provisions should be included in the home fire escape plan and discussed with family members.

When afraid, children commonly seek sheltered places such as a closet or under the bed. Encourage them to exit outside. Do not allow them to hide. Make sure children can operate the windows, descend a ladder, or lower themselves to the ground through a window. (Slide out on the stomach, feet first. Hang on with both hands. Bend the knees when landing.) Lower children to the ground before you exit from the window. They may panic and not follow if an adult goes first.

Have children practice saying the fire department number, the family name, and street address into the phone.

Practice Your Fire Escape Plan

One very good step in the planning of a home fire escape plan is to make a floor diagram of the house. Mark the regular and emergency escape routes, as well as windows, doors, stairs, halls. A good way to practice the effectiveness of a home fire escape plan is to position each family member in his or her bed, turn all the lights off, and activate the smoke detector by depressing the test switch. Each family member should help "awaken" the others by yelling the alert. Family members should exit their rooms according to the plan, crawl low under smoke, practice feeling doors for heat, and meet in the designated location outside the home.

Exit Safely From a Structure

Jumping from upper floors of a building should be avoided. However, it is possible to hang from a second story window and drop feet first to the ground without significant injury. A sprained ankle or broken leg is better than dying. Parents can purchase fire ladders for the bedrooms, or instruct children to use an adjacent porch or garage roof to await rescue by the fire department. When exiting such a structure, do not use the elevator. Elevators are notorious for stopping at the fire floor and killing the people inside. A power failure may cause them to stop in between floors. Use the fire escape or an enclosed fire resistive stairwell to exit.

As a family, explore the building so that every exit, is familiar, including those from storage, laundry and recreation rooms. If the hallways become smoke-filled as the result of a fire, memory can help in finding the exits.

Look for these important features in the building - enclosed exit stairways, clearly-marked exits, clean hallways and lobbies, automatic sprinklers, fire alarm systems and smoke detectors.

 

   • Fire sprinklers save lives:

We can provide information on how your new or existing home can be retrofitted with a low-cost, lifesaving system that alerts you and detects fire while starting extinguishment.

  • CPR. Certification:

The Miami Township Fire Department sponsors American Heart Association CPR classes for the public and professionals. Certification in any American Heart Association CPR class is for two years from the date of training. In addition to CPR, Emergency Victim Care (EVC) and Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) classes are also offered.

  • Fire hydrant inspections:

Fire Department employees inspect and lubricate more than 1,350 fire hydrants annually in Miami Township. This is done to ensure that when a hydrant is needed, it is available for service.

 

 

  • Juvenile firesetter program:

This program is designed to control a youngster’s curiosity about fire, and to assist parents in gaining help and support for the child who plays with fire.

For dates and registration information, or to find out more about the Fire Prevention Bureau, call the Miami Township Fire Department (433- 4242), Monday through Friday between 8 am, and 4:30 p.m.

 

Move to the Right for Sirens and Lights!
Help us - help you... quicker! Move to the right when you see an emergency vehicle

 

If you or someone you love is in need of emergency assistance, you want help to get there right away. Did you know that there’s one thing everyone can do to help the firefighters provide this emergency assistance as quickly as possible? It’s as simple as Moving to the Right for Sirens and Lights!

Every year in the U.S., there are almost 16,000 collisions involving fire department emergency vehicles while responding to or returning from incidents. Many people panic or simply don’t adhere to the rules of the road for approaching emergency vehicles. The law is very specific; drivers must yield the right-of-way to an emergency vehicle, and failure to do so can cause serious accidents or delays in ambulances, fire engines and fire trucks arriving at the scene of an emergency. Firefighters are careful to avoid vehicle collisions by driving slowly when traveling against traffic, or coming to a complete stop at intersections. However, the cooperation of ALL vehicles on the roadway is essential.

There are some simple rules to follow when you’re on the road and encounter an emergency vehicle:

DO:

  • Stay calm.
  • Pull to the right and come to a complete stop.
  • If you’re traveling on a high-speed road or if there is no room to stop, slow down as much as possible.
  • If you are in the left lane, pull over into the right lane as traffic in the lane to your right moves over.
  • If you cannot move to the right because of another vehicle or obstacle, just stop. Your action will let the driver of the emergency vehicle know what you are doing and allow the driver to anticipate where to drive.
  • When an emergency vehicle approaches you from behind while you are stopped at an intersection, stay where you are unless you can pull to the right.
  • On a 4-lane highway or street without barriers, both sides of traffic should pull to the right.
  • Be careful when driving by or around a motor vehicle accident or any situation where emergency vehicles are parked and the firefighters are working.
  • Drivers should stay at least 500 feet behind emergency vehicles.

DON’T:

  • Don’t panic.
  • Don’t play your radio so loudly that you are unable to hear sirens.
  • Don’t stop in the middle lane when there is room to pull to the right.
  • Don’t pull to the left in the center lane or left turn lane.
  • Don’t race ahead to make the green light or turn before the emergency vehicle gets there.
  • Don’t turn quickly to the left onto a street or driveway.
  • Don’t drive through a red light or stop sign when an emergency vehicle approaches from behind.
  • If the emergency vehicle is traveling on the opposite direction of a divided highway or street, you do not need to pull over.
  • Don’t disregard the presence of the emergency vehicle by continuing to drive.

 

The Miami Township Division of Fire and EMS will gladly provide a home fire safety inspection. The service is free of charge. To schedule an inspection call 433-4242.
© Miami Township Division of Fire/EMS. All rights reserved.