Typically, we think of fire prevention as the way to teach kids escape plans, stop, drop and roll, the importance of smoke alarms and other lessons. Fire safety educators work hard each day to get their message across to school age kids so they bring the information home to their families; but what about the many businesses that exist in the local area? They also deserve to keep their employees safe. At the Gates Fire District in New York, we offer a program to local businesses to help protect their property, keep their employees safe and prevent fire from destroying everything they have worked so hard to get. Not only could there be loss of life, but what about the economic impact such as loss of jobs and revenue. This awareness training is designed to help employees make the correct choices during an emergency situation.
Demand for our fire prevention services have dramatically increased over the past several years. We have focused a great deal on school-age children, but now we have seen an increase in requests from our local businesses as well. Our fire department takes a very proactive approach in helping to educate all age groups. Several years ago, we designed a program to educate employees on the correct way to react to a fire. Safety and security has become paramount in importance, and owners are always thinking of different ways to keep their businesses running without interruption while striving to prevent injuries and fatalities. Our one-hour program does just that. We spend half an hour lecturing employees on fire safety and another half hour doing some hands-on training outside. Why is this all so important? The U.S. Fire Administration’s most recent report states that non-residential fires accounted for over 86,000 fires, 1,300 injuries and 86 deaths. Property losses totaled almost $3 billion. We believe that is reason enough to target this particular audience.
Getting a foot in the door at the office
So what do we cover in our training and how is it rolled out? First, we must find out what we are dealing with so we always set up an appointment with the manager or business owner to gain a better understanding of what their business is all about. This gives us an opportunity to introduce ourselves ahead of time to build a relationship. It is most important to put people at ease. Many businesses are reluctant to allow the fire department in because they fear an inspection and we want to put those fears to rest. Once the introduction meeting is completed, we schedule our training.
When teaching, we cover the New York State Fire Code. In fact, we discuss and refer to the code as part of our objective. In the fire code it states that in the event an unwanted fire occurs on the property, the owner or occupants shall immediately report the condition to the fire department and that no one shall, by verbal or written directive, delay the reporting to the fire department. All occupants should immediately implement emergency procedures.
From my view point that is by far the most important lesson of all—notification to the fire department and life safety are of the utmost importance. The fire code also states that any commercial building requires its employees to be fully trained in the use of its fire extinguishers. Although we teach the use of fire extinguishers, we make it very clear that this is not the priority during a fire. We will discuss this more in-depth later on in this article.
The topics we discuss are simple and to the point. We cover priorities, statistics, places where fires can occur, classes of fire, types of fire extinguishers, discovery of a fire and lastly how to use a fire extinguisher during live fire conditions. Each of these points is important on their own; however, our most important discussion is on priorities. We make it very clear there are three things that must happen immediately. First, the fire alarm must be activated to notify occupants of the emergency and it should never be silenced. Next, occupants should evacuate and report to a central meeting area outside, away from the building. Lastly, once everyone is outside, a back-up phone call should be made to the local 911 center to provide any additional relevant information to responding firefighters. This is by far the most important part of the lesson and should always be followed.
Stats and science
We then briefly review some statistics to help students understand the serious nature of what we are discussing. We explain to them the more common locations of where fires can occur. Although we are discussing their place of business, we always encourage them to ask questions about their homes as well. There is never a lack of questions. We also explain that the training you get at work does not always apply at home. There are always questions about household portable fire extinguishers and we make it very clear that although they will be getting hands-on training for work purposes, we never encourage them to use fire extinguishers at home. Their job at home is to have the whole family evacuate immediately.
We even discuss a little science. We go over the fire triangle and help them understand what makes up their fire and how it is extinguished. It’s always easy to tell people how to put out a fire, but it is also important to explain how things work. We use a graphic to help make it easier to understand and visuals always work great.
As we move on, we discuss classes of fire and explain where their operation fits in. For example, if we are training at a restaurant, they may be more susceptible to a kitchen fire and would fit into Class K. They would be responsible for maintaining not only a dry chemical extinguisher, but also a kitchen class extinguisher. Many companies utilize dry chemical ABC extinguishers. It will be up to you to determine what is needed and what to cover more in-depth. We also explain the more common types of extinguishers and the applications for which they would be used. It is important to review this because we know what can happen if the incorrect extinguishing agent is used on a fire and how it can make things much worse.
We also have a quick discussion on "fight or flight" and when it is okay to try and put a fire out. First, did we address our priorities? If so, do we have the correct extinguisher and have a clear understanding of how bad the conditions are? Do your instincts tell you it’s not a good idea? We make it clear that just because we provide this training it does not mean someone should rush right in and extinguish the fire. This training is about awareness and that should be reinforced throughout the lesson. This should all take no more than 30 minutes. It may seem like a lot of information to cover but it goes smoothly and quickly even with questions.
Getting hands-on
The second part is the hands-on portion when we go outside and use the extinguishers. The Gates Fire District uses the BullEx Fire Extinguishing System. You may have a different system, but the message conveyed is still the same. We cover some safety measures that should be taken, such as never fighting a fire that is past the incipient stage, notification of occupants, the pull, aim, squeeze and sweep (P.A.S.S.) method and when it’s a good time to back away. It’s clearly up to you what you would like to include. Many times our own experiences as firefighters help with this part. During this portion make sure students are familiar with the extinguisher before they use it. You should demonstrate how to prepare a fire extinguisher for use and put out the first fire. Explain to them they should always back away facing the fire so they can keep an eye on it if it flares up; then give each student an opportunity.
All of that in one hour? Yes! It’s that simple. We try very hard to keep it to that time frame. It’s hard for companies to shut down their operation for longer than that, so we keep it to no more than 25-30 people and there should be two firefighters to help assist with the hands-on portion. Be sure to set up outside prior to beginning the class as that helps save time. Provide attendees with some documentation showing they participated in the training that they can keep for their records. What better than to have fire safety training with your local fire department and we provide it at no cost to them!
So what have you gained? First, you built up some equity with the business as their community risk reducer. They will call you from now on when they have a question and trust that you will always help. You have also assisted with reducing the chance of injury and/or fatalities. Hopefully, from here on out you will be able to continue to work with them by providing a refresher class each year. Always remember, education, prevention and protection are the building blocks to a safer community.
JOSEPH MANUSE has been the career fire prevention officer for the Gates, NY, Fire District since 2008. He has been a volunteer firefighter with the Gates-Chili Fire Department for almost 28 years, holding the ranks of lieutenant, captain and assistant chief. As the fire prevention officer, he is responsible for providing various fire prevention and fire safety lessons through community outreach programs within the Gates-Chili School District, local businesses and senior centers. Manuse regularly conducts fire extinguisher/fire safety programs with many local businesses, assists with fire evacuation drills and conducts a Junior Fire Academy every summer for middle school students. He regularly attends training classes at the New York State Fire Academy and the National Fire Academy to maintain his certifications. In addition to his regular job responsibilities, Manuse has obtained certifications as a Building Safety Inspector, Fire Instructor I and Fire Instructor II and is currently enrolled and working toward a fire protection associates degree.
