Prevention Division

The review of construction plans is an essential part of fire prevention. During 2011, 3105 plans for new construction were reviewed. An inspector follows the project from the first plan presented to the issuance of a Certificate of Occupancy.

The division coordinates all hazardous materials review and permitting as required by City ordinance. One inspector is assigned this duty which requires specialized training and knowledge. A Deputy Fire Marshal is trained and serves as the back up to this position. SPFR, through City Ordinance, requires that a Fire Inspector(s) be “on site” when greater than 600 people gather for an indoor assembly (excluding religious service). The number of inspectors required is based on a sliding scale that considers the type of event and the audience in attendance. A Deputy Fire Marshal coordinates these events. The process starts with a floor plan review and progresses to the permit (which could involve an additional permit for pyrotechnics), Fire Inspector scheduling, overtime billing, and ends with a post event critique. The Deputy Fire Marshals also supervise Division Inspectors, serve on numerous committees, administer the False Alarm Ordinance, and oversee Fire and Arson investigation.

For more information contact the Fire Prevention Division at 727-893-7064.

Prevention Services

Remember: Be Smart, Don't Let A Fire Start

The fire safety programs in 2011 were very successful. Our Public Education and Fire Prevention efforts reached 29,370 citizens.

Fire Prevention Week – (October 7-October 13, 2012) SPF&R is proud to present a variety of fun and educational activities during Fire Prevention Week.  Our Fire safety messages are highlighted through City Wide Elementary School Fire drills and a variety of family-oriented events like our annual Fire Station Open Houses and Annual Fire prevention Block Party.

Fire Station Tours Our firefighters will guide groups around their "second home", highlighting the fire engines and other apparatus. Groups will talk about a day in the life of a firefighter, and will have an opportunity to ask questions to a real fire person. The tour includes a short fire safety video Station Tours are recommended for ages 4 and up.

Fire Truck Display Fire and/or Rescue trucks can be scheduled to be visit any public, nonretail setting for a educational purposes. Firefighting equipment is displayed, and firefighters are on hand to answer questions. Supervised children may even climb aboard to get a firsthand look at the driver’s seat. Please note: Birthday Parties are considered an entertainment purpose and do not qualify as an educational purpose.

Fire and Life Safety Programs Public Education Specialists implement programs for all ages basic fire and life safety practices are presented for preschool and elementary aged children, with more comprehensive programs for older children and adults. Fire Safety, Drowning Prevention, Holiday and Firework Safety are all topics for presentations. These presentations are available for ages 3 & Up and are free. A minimum of two weeks notice is required for all presentation requests.

Contact

Katie Brew - Public Education Specialist

727-893-7218

Call to request a speaker on fire safety.

Forms

Fire Safety Presentation Survey

Request for a Truck Display

Request for a Smoke Alarm

Follow these safety tips to reduce hazards in your home. By taking the time to do a fire safety inspection, you will reduce your familys risk of being harmed in a home fire.

• Keep cooking areas clean and clear of materials that could catch fire, such as pot-holders, towels, rags, drapes and food packaging.
• Never leave food cooking on the stovetop unattended, and keep a close eye on food cooking inside the oven.
• Give space heaters plenty of space. Space heaters should be at least three feet away from anything that could burn. Always make sure to turn heaters off when leaving the room or going to bed.
• Create a “kid-free zone” around the kitchen stove, keeping children and pets at least three feet away from the cooking area.
• Solid-fueled heating equipment, including chimneys, chimney connectors, fireplaces, and wood or coal stoves should be inspected by a professional every year and cleaned as often as necessary. This also applies to all other types of fueled heating equipment, including central furnaces and space heaters.
• Lit candles should be monitored constantly by an adult and extinguished when adults leave the room or go to sleep.
• Use candleholders that won't tip over easily, are made of non-combustible materials, and are big enough to catch dripping wax safely.
• Never leave children alone with burning candles. NFPA recommends against allowing children to have candles in their bedrooms.
• Keep matches and lighters up high and out of children's sight and reach — preferably in a locked cabinet.
• Replace or repair any electrical device with a loose, frayed, or broken cord.
• To reduce the risk of electrical shock, install ground-fault circuit-interrupters (GFCIs). GFCIs shut off faulty electrical circuits and equipment more quickly than conventional fuses or circuit breakers. The devices are inexpensive and can be hard-wired into your home's electrical system by a professional electrician.
• Never bring even a small amount of gasoline indoors. The vapors are highly flammable and can be ignited by a tiny spark.
• Liquids like gasoline, kerosene, and propane are highly flammable. Make sure to store these liquids outside the home in a properly ventilated shed or garage. Store them only in small quantities and in their original containers or in safety containers. Again, Never bring even a small amount of gasoline indoors. The vapors are highly flammable and can be ignited by a tiny spark.
• In the hands of an adult who knows how to use it, a portable fire extinguisher can save lives and minimize property damage by putting out a small fire or containing it until the fire department arrives. But Never forget that fire spreads rapidly. Your first priority should always be to get out of the house and call 911 from a safe location.

Home Safe: 893-SAFE (7233)

St. Petersburg Fire & Rescue provides a variety of in home safety services to St. Petersburg Residents free of charge. In 2011 Our Free Smoke alarm installation Program touched 170 single family home owners, installing 289 alarms. Requests for these services are captured on the automated hot line 893SAFE. Residents leave their name address and telephone numbers on our automated hot-line. Requests are dispatched to the fire station closest to their homes. Residents are contacted and appoints are scheduled accordingly. Firefighters install the alarms for free in our citizen’s residential and single family homes. Safety and Pool Checks are also available upon request. Battery changes for existing alarms can also be scheduled through this hot line.

363 days of the year we teach children not to play with matches and lighters. On July 3rd and 4th, many parents hand their children matches or a lighter and send them off to have fun lighting fireworks! This results in many needless injuries and accidents to children.

The Fire Prevention Division of SPFR asks that you follow the labels on fireworks that state, “Use only under adult supervision.” Since most injuries occur because of lack of supervision and misuse of fireworks, we urge all parents to supervise their children during the July 4th Holiday Season.

Here are some more tips to help ensure a safe 4th of July:

1. Always keep a water source available, either a garden hose or a large bucket of water.
2. Select and use only legal fireworks. Check with the Fire Prevention Division to determine what is legal.
3. Never shoot or throw fireworks toward another person or the property.
4. Never use or make homemade fireworks, they are deadly.

Facts and Figures

• During 2005-2009, U.S. fire departments responded to an estimated average of 12,860 home structure fires started by candles per year. These fires caused an annual average of 136 civilian deaths, 1,040 civilian fire injuries, and $471 million in direct property damage.
• Candles caused 3% of the reported home fires, 5% of home fire deaths, 8% of home fire injuries, and 7% of direct property damage during this period. Homes include dwellings, duplexes, manufactured housing and apartments.
• On average, 35 home candle fires were reported per day.
• Falling asleep was a factor in 12% percent of the home candle fires and 42% of the associated deaths.
• More than half (55%) of home candle fires occurred when some form of combustible material was left or came too close to the candle.
• December is the peak time of year for home candle fires. In December, 11% of home candle fires began with decorations compared to 4% the rest of the year.

Safety Tips:

• Extinguish all candles when leaving the room or going to sleep.
• Keep candles away from items that can catch fire (e.g. clothing, books, paper, curtains, Christmas trees, flammable decorations).
• Use candle holders that are sturdy, won't tip over easily, are made from a material that can't burn and are large enough to collect dripping wax.
• Don't place lit candles in windows, where blinds and curtains can close over them.
• Place candle holders on a sturdy, uncluttered surface and do not use candles in places where they could be knocked over by children or pets.
• Keep candles and all open flames away from flammable liquids.
• Keep candle wicks trimmed to one-quarter inch and extinguish taper and pillar candles when they get to within two inches of the holder or decorative material. Votives and containers should be extinguished before the last half-inch of wax starts to melt.
• Avoid candles with combustible items embedded in them.

Candles and children:

• Keep candles up high out of reach of children. Never leave a child unattended in a room with a candle. A child should not sleep in a room with a lit candle.
• Don't allow children or teens to have candles in their bedrooms.
• Store candles, matches and lighters up high and out children's sight and reach, preferably in a locked cabinet.

During Power Outages:

• Try to avoid carrying a lit candle. Don't use a lit candle when searching for items in a confined space.
• Never use a candle for a light when checking pilot lights or fueling equipment such as a kerosene heater or lantern. The flame may ignite the fumes

A portable fire extinguisher can save lives and property by putting out a small fire or containing it until the fire department arrives; but portable extinguishers have limitations. Because fire grows and spreads so rapidly, the number one priority for residents is to get out safely.

Safety Tips:

• Use a portable fire extinguisher when the fire is confined to a small area, such as a wastebasket, and is not growing; everyone has exited the building; the fire department has been called or is being called; and the room is not filled with smoke.
• To operate a fire extinguisher, remember the word PASS: —Pull the pin. Hold the extinguisher with the nozzle pointing away from you, and release the locking mechanism. —Aim low. Point the extinguisher at the base of the fire. Squeeze the lever slowly and evenly.—Sweep the nozzle from side-to-side.
• For the home, select a multi-purpose extinguisher (can be used on all types of home fires) that is large enough to put out a small fire, but not so heavy as to be difficult to handle.
• Choose a fire extinguisher that carries the label of an independent testing laboratory.
• Read the instructions that come with the fire extinguisher and become familiar with its parts and operation before a fire breaks out. Local fire departments or fire equipment distributors often offer hands-on fire extinguisher trainings.
• Install fire extinguishers close to an exit and keep your back to a clear exit when you use the device so you can make an easy escape if the fire cannot be controlled. If the room fills with smoke, leave immediately.
• Know when to go. Fire extinguishers are one element of a fire response plan, but the primary element is safe escape. Every household should have a home fire escape plan and working smoke alarms.

Fire Extinguisher Training

Public Education Specialists offer an educational video, brief consultation, and hands-on experience using a fire extinguisher on a live fire for businesses. This experience gives employees the knowledge and confidence it takes to successfully use these potential property and lifesaving devices. As Of December 2011, this program costs $130 per group of 25 adults. A minimum of 10 adults are required to secure a program. Agencies will be billed after presentations.

Contact Public Education Specialist at 727-893-7218

Decorate carefully for safer holidays!

• When decorating Christmas trees, always use safe tree lights. (Some lights are designed only for indoor or outdoor use, but not both.) Larger tree lights should also have some type of reflector rather than a bare bulb and all lights should be listed by a testing laboratory.
• Never use electric lights on a metal tree.
• Follow the manufacturer's instructions on how to use tree lights. Any string of lights with worn, frayed or broken cords or loose bulb connections should not be used.
• Always unplug Christmas tree lights before leaving home or going to sleep.
• Never use lit candles to decorate a tree, and place them well away from tree branches.
• Try to keep live trees as moist as possible by giving them plenty of water daily. Do not purchase a tree that is dry or dropping needles.
• Choose a sturdy tree stand designed not to tip over.
• When purchasing an artificial tree, be sure it is labeled as fire-retardant.
• Children are fascinated with Christmas trees. Keep a watchful eye on them when around the tree and do not let them play with the wiring or lights.
• Store matches and lighters up high, out of the reach of children, preferably in a locked cabinet.
• Make sure the tree is at least three feet (one meter) away from any heat source and try to position it near an outlet so that cords are not running long distances. Do not place the tree where it may block exits.
• Safely dispose of the tree when it begins dropping needles. Dried-out trees are highly flammable and should not be left in a house or garage, or placed against the house.

Finding your child playing with matches or lighters? Have you tried everything you know to stop this behavior, but nothing seems to work? Don't know what to do ... afraid of what might happen if this fireplay activity continues? Curiosity about fire can be a natural, but dangerous thing. If fireplay activity seems to be a common occurrence with your child ... that is not normal, and help is needed to find out why this is happening. Fireplay activity can be deadly ... don't be afraid to ask for help.

The Juvenile Fire setters program provides assistance parents/guardians of children who are involved in fire related incidents by providing an individualized diversion/prevention plan that may consist of counseling, educational classes, essays, posters and letters of apology. This program allows non-judicial diversion services which enables a child to be diverted away from the criminal justice system and to not have a record or be referred to the State Attorney’s Office for possible prosecution. The juvenile Arbitration program involves an initial appointment whereby the child and parents meet with a hearing officer who will assign the appropriate educational classes and individualized program that best meet the child’s needs. A follow-up appointment is also held with parents and child to review the child’s completion of assignments. Upon successful completion a final report is sent to the referring fire department or fire official thereby preventing a criminal record and entry into the juvenile justice system.