Welcome to the Toms River Fire Prevention Bureau's new home on the world wide web. This page will be regularly updated with relevant fire prevention topics. All of the pages within this site will be kept up to date to help you, help us, prevent fires. Be Safe

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The Toms River Bureau of Fire Prevention would like to remind residents and local businesses of using common sense when it comes to using mulch to enhance landscaping. Each year during spring and summer months, hundreds of mulch fires are reported across the nation. These fires start out small and are sometimes undetected, but eventually grow into a devestating fire, causing major damage to buildings, homes, and businesses.

Typically, mulch that is piled to deeply, more than a few inches, can build up heat and spontaneously ignite. As the fire starts in the landscaping mulch, it quickly spreads into the schrubbery and than into the home or business. However, the most common cause of mulch fire is human carelessness through inappropriate discarding of smoking materials, including matches.

To help prevent mulch fires, the Fire Bureau recommends the following:
Consider using a colored stone instead of mulch
Use approved receptacles for smoking materials
Be aware of weather conditions, hot spells allow mulch fires to start more easily
Keep mulch beds as moist as possible
Maintain at least 18" of clearance between the mulch bed and combustible materials.

Also Toms River residents whose properties abutt to a wooded area must take the threat of fire seriously, and take precautions to prevent a fire from bridgeing it's way to their home. Some examples consist of keeping our gutters clean of leaves and pine needles, removing dead limbs from trees, having spark arrestors or heavy screen wire on our chimneys,stacking firewood at least 30'ft from our home, establishing and maintaining a minimum fire break by establishing a well watered green lawn, It is also a good idea to have garden hoses connected to the exterior of your home to prevent a small fire from becoming a large one. and lastly, make sure everone(including children know how to dial the emergency service phone number.)

Fire departments in Toms River as well as Ocean County see all too often the devestation caused by fire.
The loss of human life and personal property are always at stake during this devestation.

One of the major issues confronting our first responders on a nation wide basis is the practice of HOARDING.

HOARDING INVOLVES THE ACQUISTION AND FAILURE TO DISCARD LARGE QUANITIES OF POSSESSIONS WHICH CULMINATES IN THE INTEFERENCE WITH DAILY LIVING ACTIVITIES.[/b]Hoarding poses a fire hazard in many ways. Example: Accumulation of these possessions can greatly increase fuel load to the fire, thereby turning a fire quickly into an Infeno.


FIRE VS INFERNO
The choice is clear;we must purge our homes of unwanted and unused items to reduce the risk of a deadly potential threat.

With Spring just around the corner, let's perform a risk assessment of our homes, and remove items we no longer need.

Help us help you by keeping everyone safe

TOMS RIVER FIRE PREVENTION BUREAU ALONG WITH THE MEN AND WOMEN OF OUR LOCAL FIRE COMPANIES

Candles cause an estimated 15,000 fires in residential homes, 150 fatalities, and approximately 1300 injuries each year. Additionally, 540 million dollars in property damage

Over 1/2 of those candle fires start because the candle is too close to some combustible material. As we celebrate this holiday season , the Bureau of Fire Prevention reminds residents to observe safety guidelines when using candles

If you are going to use candles (battery operated candles make a great substitute) ensure they are in a sturdy metal,glass, or ceramic holders where they cannot be easily knocked over

Keep candles out of reach of children and pets

NEVER leave the house with candles burning or unattended

Use good comman sense and maintain your early warning devices .

Increasingly, firefighters across the nation arrive on the scene of a deadly fire to discover, destruction had begun from something so harmless looking as a candle. Each day there will be approximately 35 fires started by unattended candles. Help us to help you to prevent fires