Public Safety : Warrensburg Fire Dept.
Firefighters begin pre-fire training
Mar 30, 2008, 10:35
The Warrensburg Fire Department will implement “pre-fire planning” April 1.
According to Fire Chief Phil Johnston, this program provides firefighters with information that will be beneficial in the event of a fire or other emergency.
“Pre-fire planning is a three-step process,” Assistant Fire Chief Sean Douglas noted. The first step involves firefighters visiting buildings to learn their physical features and acquire information about emergency contacts, locations of utility disconnects, areas where chemicals or potentially flammable materials may be concentrated, entrance and exit route information, onsite fire protection and fire alarm equipment, and other pertinent facts that could help firefighters operate as efficiently and safely as possible.
The second step involves firefighters recording the information for retrieval when needed at an emergency incident.
The third step involves training at pre-planned facilities to ensure familiarity with site aspects that could play a major role in incident management in the event of an actual emergency at such facilities.
Fire crews may ask for copies of site or floor plans to obtain information for use in preparing the plans. Firefighters will visit each site selected for pre-fire planning at least twice a year.
Initial visits will focus on acquiring information, and subsequent visits will focus on updating information and maintaining familiarity with each site’s features that could be notable during a fire or other emergency.
“Pre-fire plan visits are not fire code enforcement inspections,” Johnston explained. “If firefighters see an obvious life safety or fire hazard issue, they will refer it to Assistant Chief Douglas or Fire and Emergency Prevention Officer Justin O’Neal. One of them will promptly contact the facility manager and discuss the matter.”
The Warrensburg Fire Department sees pre-fire plans as an important way to increase department efficiency, and public understanding of this program is sought as Warrensburg firefighters introduce this important program to our community.
According to Fire Chief Phil Johnston, this program provides firefighters with information that will be beneficial in the event of a fire or other emergency.
“Pre-fire planning is a three-step process,” Assistant Fire Chief Sean Douglas noted. The first step involves firefighters visiting buildings to learn their physical features and acquire information about emergency contacts, locations of utility disconnects, areas where chemicals or potentially flammable materials may be concentrated, entrance and exit route information, onsite fire protection and fire alarm equipment, and other pertinent facts that could help firefighters operate as efficiently and safely as possible.
The second step involves firefighters recording the information for retrieval when needed at an emergency incident.
The third step involves training at pre-planned facilities to ensure familiarity with site aspects that could play a major role in incident management in the event of an actual emergency at such facilities.
Fire crews may ask for copies of site or floor plans to obtain information for use in preparing the plans. Firefighters will visit each site selected for pre-fire planning at least twice a year.
Initial visits will focus on acquiring information, and subsequent visits will focus on updating information and maintaining familiarity with each site’s features that could be notable during a fire or other emergency.
“Pre-fire plan visits are not fire code enforcement inspections,” Johnston explained. “If firefighters see an obvious life safety or fire hazard issue, they will refer it to Assistant Chief Douglas or Fire and Emergency Prevention Officer Justin O’Neal. One of them will promptly contact the facility manager and discuss the matter.”
The Warrensburg Fire Department sees pre-fire plans as an important way to increase department efficiency, and public understanding of this program is sought as Warrensburg firefighters introduce this important program to our community.
