Fire

Programs
The North Charleston Fire Department offers a number of programs to the community in order to prevent damage from fires and prevent injuries.  There are specific programs for adults and children. Let's start with the children's programs...

For Kids there are some wonderful safety adventures.

Child Safety Seat Check Points
North Charleston Fire Department has several National CPS Certitified technicians who are trained to demonstrate the proper installation of your child's safety seat in your vehicle.  You will go home confident in your ability to install the seat safely. You can visit North Charleston Fire Stations located at 8100 Rivers Ave., 3690 Leeds Ave., and 9002 Dorchester Rd. in order to visit with a technician.  There is also a montly Safe Kids Check point the 1st Tuesday of each month from 4:00 pm - 6:00 pm at the Babies-R-Us store located at 7250 Rivers Ave.  Please have the instructions to the seat, you car owner's manual, the seat itself and the child who will be riding in it.  These items help with proper installation and fitting of the seat.

Get Alarmed!  Smoke Alarm Installation
Firefighters from the City of North Charleston will install new smoke alarms in your home free of charge. For more information contact fire department headquarters at (843) 740-2616.

Play Safe, Be Safe
This program is designed to be accessible to three to five-year-olds. They can join Dan the Firefighter in Bic Corporation's Play Safe, Be Safe prevention program.  The students are introduced to simple, age appropriate, fire safety messages such as "Matches are Grown Up Tools so Don't Touch" and "Stop, Drop and Roll."  There is a video component, a game and activity that goes with each of the four lessons presented in the program. A trained Fire and Life Safety Educator will visit your classroom to present this exciting program.  A Play Safe, Be Safe activity kit is left with the classroom instructor so the lessons may be reinforced during play or activity time.

Sparky the Puppet and his Friends 
Sparky may visit the classroom with his other friends, "SeesMore the Smoke Alarm" and "Happy the Talking Terrier" to help the Fire Educator reinforce active fire safety in the pre-school and grade-school age range.  This is an interactive program that hits all the important messages such and '"Stop, Drop, and Roll,' "Crawl Low Under Smoke", "Always Go Outside When the Smoke Alarm Sounds", "Practice Fire Drills at Home", and "Always Tell a Grown-up When You See Matches and Lighters."

This program follows health and science educational standards involving fire safety for this age range. Some concepts coverd include 'fire burns and burns hurt' and 'smoke smells bad and can hurt us'.  These facts are used to reinforce the importance of fire safety for everyone, no matter your age.

Dot the Dalmatian; A Fire Safety Dog
Dot is an energetic clown who motivates children to learn the importance of fire safety at home and at school.  This character is perfect for the grade-schooler to connect fire safety and fun.  Topics covered include 'Matches and Lighters are Tools Not Toys,' Call 9-1-1 in an Emergency, "Stop, Drop and Roll," "Pour Cool Water on a Burn," and "Always Go Outside to the Meeting Place When the Smoke Alarm Sounds."

Upon request, the program can be modified to fit to your needs. The Fire and Life Safety Educator can cover helmet safety, burn prevention, seasonal fire safety and fire drill planning. 

Fire Safety for the Middle School and High School Students
This program focuses on the science of fire; how it moves and why.  Focus is put on the uncontrollability of fire and the fact it is dark, hot and dangerous.  In addition, middle school and high school age students explore the fire triangle, cooking safety, burn prevention, and the importance of E.D.I.T.H (Exit Drills in the Home) and working smoke alarms. This is a high energy, interactive presentation that motivates students to become leaders in the home.

Explorer Post 100
Teens ranging in age from fourteen-years-old to twenty-one-years-old can join Explorer Post 100 at the North Charleston Fire Department. This is a prime opportunity for boys and girls to see if firefighting is for you, make new friends and become a leader.  The Explorer Post is part of the Boy Scouts of America Explorer Program where students learn job skills from those who actual use them.  This program empowers students through teamwork and community service.

Juvenile Firesetter Intervention
NFPA Reports indicate in 2006 children playing with fire set an estimated 14,500 structure fires. 130 people died in these fires and 810 were injured.  These child-set fires resulted in and estimated $328 million damage.  the North Charleston Fire Department offers a program that can help teach children from three to seventeen-years-old the risks and consequences of experimenting with fire.

Adult Programs

Fire safety and injury prevention are not only for the children. Here are the programs offered to foster fire safety in the adult world.

Fire Safety and Fire Extinguisher Use in the Work Place
This program is designed for all businesses.  It is free of charge to all. This is a self-contained program using the Bullex propane-driven Fire Extinguisher System and NFPA Fire Extinguishers in the Work Place video.  The department provides firefighting professionals to train your staff. 

The program is designed to be presented in two segments.  The first is a classroom section covering the importance of prevention and safety in the workplace and home.

Then the fun part, actually using a fire extinguisher. The truth is, unless we practice safety skills they are lost.  This is a safe, easy, non-messy way to reinforce a life saving skill.  The Bullex system uses water and air pressure to judge the effectivness of your extinguisher technique. The computer controls the fire according to the effectiveness of your extinguisher use. The class is designed to take about 45 minutes to complete.  This gives time for the classroom, hands on practice and questions. Classes are limited to 30 students per session.

The program can be enhanced to fit the needs of higher risk occupancies such as nursing home facilities, restaurants, medical facilities, industry and other assemblies.

Fire Safety for all other groups
Work is not the only place adults need to think about fire safety. Safety should be all around us, in the home, at social functions, and everywhere else we go.  To this end, presentations for your community, social group or organization are also available covering such things as fire drills for adults, fire safety checklists for the home, fall prevention and fire prevention.

CPR for the Family and Friends
This is a four hour class covering the basics of responding to life threatening emergencies in the home.  Discussion and practice covers choking, cardiac arrest and recognizing an emergency. The use of AED's is also covered in this non-certificate course.

CPR and First Aid Certification
The North Charleston Fire Department has several instructors who offer American Heart Certification courses ranging from HeartSaver through First Responder courses.  For a list of instructors, send a message here.

Remembering When
Fall Prevention and Fire Safety for Senior Citizens. 

A Fire and Fall Prevention Program for Older Adults, was developed by NFPA and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to help older adults live safely at home for as long as possible.

Fact: At age 65, older adults are twice as likely to be killed or injured by fires or falls.

Fact: Thirty percent of people age 65 and older are involved in falls each year, the leading cause of death from unintentional injury in the home.

Fact: In the U.S. and Canada, adults age 65 and older make up about twelve percent of the population – and their numbers are increasing.

This is a presentation of interesting facts, including a discusion about prevention of fire and tactics for escaping from fire, safe cooking, and fall prevention.

There is even a Trivia bowl to keep it interesting.  Here is an example...

Sports Question:  Which three-time world champion figure skater won an Olympic gold medal in 1968?

Bonus Question:  You’ve noticed your son cooking at the stove while he’s wearing a necktie without a tie clip. What do you tell him?  Answer: Wear close-fitting clothing because loose clothing can dangle onto stove burners and catch fire.Remembering When: A Fire and Fall Prevention Program for Older Adults©1999 NFPA Center for High-Risk Outreach

Festivals, Fairs, Social Event
The North Charleston Fire Department is also happy to provide fire safety information and display our trucks and equipment at fairs and events.  We have fire trucks, of course, but that is only the beginning. 

 There is the Fire Safety House sometimes called a smoke house.  It is an interactive presentation in a mobile home, built to kid size.  Children and their adventurous parents can take the tour and practice crawling low under smoke in a safe environment. The 'smoke' used is theater fog. 

There is also the House of Hazards which is a table-top interactive display used to engage people as they pass by.  It sings and lights up while showing some of the most common household dangers.

For more information on any of these opportunities or simply if you have questions contact the North Charleston Fire Department Fire and Life Safety Division at (843) 740-2647, (843) 740-2646 or (843) 740-2616.  You may also e-mail here.

Please give at least three weeks notice when requesting a class or assistance with an event.  All items are on a first come first serve basis.