First Responder Smoke Alarm Program
Intermountain Fire-Rescue has teamed up with the Burn Institute to provide residents with new smoke detectors free of charge. The following information is courtesy the Burn Institute. For more info, or to get a new smoke detector free of charge please Contact Us.
For more than 30 years the Burn Institute has worked closely with local fire departments, fire chiefs and firefighter associations to identify and address fire and burn prevention education needs in the community and design programs to address those needs.
Did you know that it is estimated that nearly 30-percent of all homes in San Diego County, and in some areas as many as 50-percent of older homes, do not have a working smoke alarm. (Source: California Fire Incident Reporting System, CFIRS). It is also estimated that 87-percent of all fire deaths occur in the home while occupants are sleeping. Having a working smoke alarm in your home cuts your chances of dying in a house by 50-percent.
The Burn Institute's First Responder Smoke Alarm Program addresses the need for working smoke alarms in homes and has been endorsed by the San Diego County Fire Chiefs' Association. It utilizes the current public-private partnership the Burn Institute has enjoyed with the fire service for more than three decades.
The First Responder Smoke Alarm Program supply’s front-line fire apparatus with smoke alarms, replacement batteries, and the necessary installation equipment and tracking forms to install smoke alarms in homes which do not have a working smoke alarm. Firefighters will also check to assure existing smoke alarms are operational, replace batteries, and distribute fire and burn prevention literature, which includes planning and practicing home fire escape routes. In homes that have a working smoke alarm, fire and burn prevention literature will be given to the resident.
The Burn Institute implemented this program with a focus on high-risk populations, including children under 14 years of age and adults over age 65. The primary objective of this program is to install smoke alarms and assure existing smoke alarms are operational.
Wildfire Preparedness
Intermountain Fire-Rescue wants you to be ready well in advance for the next wildfire event. We encourage you to carefully review the info below as well as the full 2009 Burn Institute Wildfire Guide. Please also visit the WildFireZone.org provided as a service of San Diego County.
The following information is courtesy the Burn Institute.
Access and Visibility
- Make sure the roadway approaching your home is wide enough to accommodate an evacuating car and an entering fire truck at the same time. Trim over-hanging branches to allow enough clearance for large emergency vehicles.
- Streets and roads must be marked with clearly visible street signs. Missing or difficult-to-read street signs can delay emergency response.
- Your address should be easy to see from the street. If necessary, post it at your driveway entrance as well as on your home. The numbers should be at least four inches tall on a contrasting background. Periodically check to make certain that new plant growth has not covered any part of your address.
Brush Clearance
- Clear dry brush, grass, and dead leaves a minimum of 30 to 100 feet from your home. If your home is located on steep terrain, or surrounded by dense vegetation, provide even more clearance. Call your fire department for exact brush clearance rules in your area.
- Remove trees and bushes planted against your home where they can ignite and spread flames to the structure.
- Check with your local nursery and purchase fire-resistive plants. Landscaping with the right materials can provide an attractive, fire resistant barrier.
Construction For Fire Resistance
- Choose non-combustible roofing materials like tile, fiber cement, clay, or asphalt shingles when you build, buy a home, or replace an existing roof. Don’t be fooled by claims that a spray-on treatment will protect your wood shake roof from fire; the fire resistance won’t last, once again leaving your roof and home vulnerable to fire.
- Enclose the undersides of patios and decks with fire-resistant materials. Stucco, brick and decorative rock will provide effective fire resistance to the exterior of your home.
- Protect the interior of your home from radiant heat caused by fire by installing residential fire sprinklers.
Plan for Evacuation
- Plan your escape in advance that you will "pack up and get out" if your home is in the path of a wildfire.
- Make a list of important items to take with you, including valuables, family photographs and videos, and important documents like insurance papers, birth certificates, and other legal papers. Be ready to take prescription medication, eyeglasses, and other health needs. Set up a plan for family members to reunite if separated.
- If you have them, include family pets and livestock in your plan and have a supply of food and water ready, as well as leashes, carriers and trailers if needed. Shot records and other documents may come in handy if boarding s required.
Getting Out Ahead of the Fire
- Be prepared to leave when told by officials or as soon as you feel threatened by the approaching fire. Make sure each vehicle has plenty of gas and is parked facing toward the exit road. Know where the keys are.
- Fire can move as rapidly as the wind blows. So be sure to leave while it is still safe. Resist the temptation to stay behind in order to try and save your home with a garden hose. You might be endangering the lives of emergency personnel, as well as your own. No house or anything in it is more valuable than a human life.
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Prevention
