Fire Prevention

    Fire Prevention is probably one of the most important jobs we do and we try to make it fun and offer as much “hands on” training as we can! We call our program "Reaching Children with Fire Prevention".  In 2007 over 4,300 children attended our program.  We offer Fire Prevention sessions to local schools, day cares, summer day camps, Head Start, Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, and other groups.  These sessions are held either at a designated location of your choice or at our fire station and are tailored to your needs and requests.

    Firefighters are our friends.... so don't be scared!  Besides the standard teaching of “Stop, drop and roll”, we bring children a variety of activities designed to familiarize them with the different aspects of emergencies and firefighting. We also teach about lightning safety, power line safety, smoke detectors, and fire extinguishers in our programs. 

    Templeton Elementary Pre-Kindergarten visited the station in October, 2001 and again in  2002. The montage on the right was created by one of the parents of that group.

    On October 1st, 2003, 2004, 2005 and 2006, the department was awarded the Life Safety Achievement Award because of the department's fire prevention and education efforts. 

 

Here are some of the activities that we do during  a fire prevention presentation:

	Demonstrate what firefighters look like in turnout gear with an SCBA on.
	Explain all parts of our protective equipment and encourage children to explore the equipment.
	Practice crawling to a firefighter who is wearing turnout gear.
	Explain what we do as EMT's and that we may come to their house if someone is sick or hurt.
	Give demonstrations of EMS procedures that we do Including: oxygen therapy, splinting, back boarding etc.
	Give truck tours and have firefighters deploy hoses in their turnout gear and shoot water (weather, time, and space permitting).
	Use the "Get Out Alive" trailer, owned by the Monroe County Firefighter's Association.

    The "Get Out Alive" trailer is where children can practice dialing 911 and talk to a firefighter playing the part of a dispatcher. Children also learn how to stay low in smoke and feel a door to see if it is warm. After discovering that its cool, they can practice entering a room filled with fog (to simulate smoke) where they crawl through and exit a window to a firefighter in turnout gear.  We also use the trailer for a severe weather and tornado scenario where an actual recording of a tornado is   used along with the national weather service warnings.  

    Our Fire Prevention officers, Craig Zollars and Elèonore Maudry are working hard to make this program the best.  We will be happy to answer questions or schedule a Fire Prevention session for your group. Call us at Bloomington Township Fire Headquarters Station 5,  812-339-1115.

 

 Here's some great sites to visit with your kids:

USFA Safe Kids    State Farm's Kid Stuff    BIC Corporation's Play Safe    CPSC's Kids Safety    Allstate's Survive Alive    Sparky The Fire Dog

Here are a few more things you can do to help prevent and survive fires.

Install smoke detectors on each floor of your home, test them regularly and replace the batteries at least once per year.

Purchase, learn to use, and place a fire extinguisher in your kitchen. Visit your local fire department and ask for a fire extinguisher lesson.

Make sure all circuits are grounded and all appliance cords are in good condition.

Keep an eye on lit candles and fire places and never leave the house with either burning.

Plan at least two escape routes from every room in your house. Practice them with your children and have a meeting place outside your house.

Consider buying an escape ladder. Be sure everyone in the house knows how to use it.

Never store flammable liquids in the same room as a gas operated appliance.

Keep the lint trap clean on your dryer, and keep the lint cleaned up around your dryer including behind the dryer.