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Pre-Planning: An Important Part of Fire Prevention
By Andy Marsh
Training Officer, Mount Oliver Fire Department
Two subjects that are starting to gain attention in the fire service
are fire prevention and pre-planning. I have noticed more discussion
and focus on these subjects throughout firefighting trade
publications and online forums. I believe that we should consider
pre-planning as an important and crucial component of fire
prevention. Maybe you already look at pre-planning as part of fire
prevention, but please bear with me.
Some may think of pre-planning as a way to combat the worst case
scenarios we may face at a future scene. We usually pick out certain
target or high risk buildings and plan for the "big one." For
instance, we notice the type of building construction, type of
occupancy; figure out the Iowa State University expected fire flow,
roof construction, hazardous materials storage, other special
hazards or considerations, hydrant locations, etc. Pre-planning is
just that; a plan before an incident. Now allow me to discuss how I
believe that pre-planning is more than just a plan, it is
prevention.
Something that I would like to see, in my department for starters,
is that we get out to our residents as much as we can and gather
information. The information we gather may be about their homes and
about the people in those homes. This is definitely a task that is
easier said than done. By having a fire prevention entity involved
in the pre-planning process, we may be able to reach the masses by
including fire prevention activities in social gatherings. For
example, bingos, senior citizen centers, and school visits are all
opportunities to reach out and get information about the communities
we serve. Maybe we could request some time to speak on behalf of
fire prevention at some of these functions, or request to do a fire
prevention presentation at their organization meeting place at a
different, separate time.
Fire prevention involves the 3 E's, Education, Engineering, and
Enforcement. The "Education" component will come from our fire
prevention personnel speaking on the topics of fire safe practices,
seasonal fire safety, or other relative fire prevention topics when
addressing the aforementioned groups. We could do this once a week,
once a month or even once a quarter. The important thing is that we
start and keep the ball rolling. Time is always a factor that needs
to be considered in planning an effective fire prevention strategy.
So, if we can reach more at one sitting, we save some time and maybe
better make use of our scheduled activities.
The "Engineering" component of the three E's will stem from the
creative presentation we put together and present to the public.
Also, the engineering comes in getting our residents to fill out
basic residential information sheets regarding their homes or
apartments. The sheets should request basic information such as the
number of senior citizens living in the residence, if medical oxygen
is being used, where their utility meters are (sometimes they are
inside), how many children are in residence, how many people live in
the residence, emergency contact numbers, and physically challenged
or mentally challenged residents and where they are most likely to
be. You get the picture. Then take this information and fill in type
of occupancy, hydrant locations, fire flow expected, exposures, etc.
The delicate part of this program is to find a way to easily access
this information but still keep the information safe and secure.
That will have to be a problem for later, let's just stick to the
idea for now.
Once we have this information or even as a way of obtaining this
information, we can then offer these residents free home inspections
so that they may be able to help the third "E" which is
"Enforcement." Through free home fire safety inspections, we can
promote fire safe practices in the home. This may also help us to
make note of the statutes, laws, and ordinances relating to fire and
building codes that are now up to par in the residence. Obviously,
if they live in an apartment or house rental and their landlords do
not comply, then we will have to step in a later point and truly
address the violations. Fire prevention and pre-planning shouldn't
be the chore that we sometimes make them to be.
The fire service is comprised of a unique bunch of individuals. That
uniqueness can lend to that special creativity which may allow us to
take care of two birds with one stone, fire prevention and
pre-planning. What's more is that our "brotherhood" will extend its
meaning to the people we have sworn to protect and serve. Our
mission statement is "save lives, protect property, and preserve the
environment." Fire prevention and pre-planning activities will help
us do just that. Let's get to work! |
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