Toms River Bureau of Fire Prevention

Welcome

Thu, 12 Jan 2012 13:00:00 +1900

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 A Sweetheart

Wed, 11 Jan 2012 18:10:00 +1900

300) this.width=300" />The Toms River Bureau of Fire Prevention reminds residents to give the gift of love this Valentines day.
Be a Sweetheart and ensure your love ones reside in a safe enviorment.
Check to ensure your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors are operable and that you have developed and practiced your family escape plans
Continue to participate in your New Years Resolution to "Resolve to be safe"

New Years Resolutions 2012

Thu, 29 Dec 2011 20:00:00 +1900

1. I resolve to maintain Smoke and Carbon300) this.width=300" /> Monoxide detectors in my home

2. I will reduce the chance of fire by performing self inspections of my home and discard items not needed,checking heating systems,electrical cords,spaceheaters.clothes dryers etc

3. I will develop and practice a family escape plan and practice it regularly

4. I will not leave food cooking unattended

5. I will develop a home emergency kit for all types of emergencies and ensure every member of the family is trained

6. I will encourage fire safety amongst family and friends by leading by example

7. I will watch "FIRE IS" on this web site with my family to show the reality of real fire not just hollywood style.

Tragedy frequently strikes in the winter months caused by heating equipment such as space heaters , fireplaces,and improperly disposed of ashes. RESOLVE TO BE SAFE

Holiday Safety

Mon, 28 Nov 2011 16:00:00 +1900

.300) this.width=300" />
.300) this.width=300" />Prevent Christmas Tree fires.
-Select a fresh green tree with branches that bend but do not break.
- Water! Keep the tree in water always.
- Keep the tree away from heat sources.
- Only keep the trees inside for 2 weeks.
- Recycle the trees at the curb, not in your fireplace.

Maintain your holiday lighting
- Inspect all strands and plugs prior to installation. Replace any damaged strands.
- Use UL or CPSC approved lighting
- Join no more than 3 strands of lights together
- Check the condition of the lights periodically.
- Do not leave them unattended.

Holiday Decorations & Candles
- Use products labeled as flame retardant or non flammable.
- Keep decorations away from heat sources.
- Use candles only as decor, do not light them.
- Keep candles on stable surfaces and away from flammables if you do light them.
- Never leave a candle lit while not around

Be alert when cooking thanksgiving dinner.

Fri, 18 Nov 2011 05:40:00 +1900

300) this.width=300" />More cooking fires are reported on Thanksgiving Day than any other day during the year. Firefighters across the nation responded to more than 1300 home fires involving cooking equipment on Thanksgiving Day, Roughly 3 times the daily average of cooking fires. In a three year period cooking fires in general were responsible for over 150,000 structural fires, causing 500 fatalities, 4700 injuries, and over 750 million dollars in property damage.

Unattended cooking is by far the leading factor in these fires according to a news release from the NFPA.

The Toms River Bureau of Fire Prevention offers the residents of Toms River the following safety tips to ensure our community enjoys a safe and festive holiday with family and friends.
- Be alert don't consume alcohol while cooking
- Stay in the kitchen while cooking, frying, or grilling, if you have to leave, turn off the burners.
- Keep all combustibles away from the stove top, such as paper towels, oven mits, and wooden utensils.

Should a fire occur:
- Keep a lid nearby when cooking to smother small grease fires. Smother the fire by sliding the lid over the pan and shutting off the stove top. Leave the pan covered until completely cooled.
- For an oven fire, turn off the heat and leave the oven door closed.
- Should you decide to extinguish a small contained fire, make sure all occupants are evacuating and you have a clear path out. Ensure someone is calling 911.

On behalf of the Fire Prevention Bureau, we wish all a safe and joyous holiday season.

Steps to Reducing False Alarms

Thu, 17 Nov 2011 08:00:00 +1900

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Whether false alarms are caused by burned popcorn, maliciousness, lack of maintence, poor design, there is nothing amusing about them.
Facilities and individuals who fail to adequately address this issue run the risk of placing emergency responders at risk each time they respond. Additionally, individuals begin to become complacent and stop taking the alarms seriously.
Employers should encourage and implement educational programs that provide risk analysis,
introduction to the workings of fire protection equipment and devices as part of their initial safety orientation.
The Toms River Bureau of Fire Prevntion offers many programs to businesses, homeowners, senior citizens, schools on a wide array of subjects to minimize false alarms and maximize fire safety awareness.
Once smoke and carbon monoxide detectors are installed they require preventive maintenance, that is cleaning and testing. Did you know that the life expectancy of smoke detectors is 10 years, and carbon monoxide detectors 5years ? also that many of the false alarms in the homes are caused by dust in and around the detector.

We ask residents to maintain their devices in an effort to reduce unnecessary false alarm activations. False alarms tax the fire departments operations, impact on the wear and tear of equipment and most importantly, jeopardize the safety of our dedicated responders
We thank you for visiting our web page and for your continuous support in keeping Toms River Township a safer place in which to live and work. Feel free to call the Bureau any time for assistance.

Change your clocks, change your batteries

Fri, 28 Oct 2011 13:30:00 +1900

Change your clock, change your batteries300) this.width=300" />

The Toms River Bureau of Fire Prevention reminds residents of the importance of changing their smoke and carbon monoxide alarm batteries when changing their clocks back on Nov 6th, 2011 This precaution along with monthly testing of these life saving devices cuts the risk of perishing in a fire.

Easter /Passover Observances

Fri, 30 Sep 2011 20:10:00 +1900

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

By using good comman sense and maintaining our early warning devices we can all enjoy what promises to be a great weekend

Back to School

Thu, 01 Sep 2011 18:20:00 +1900

300) this.width=300" />Returning to school means grooming ourselfs and our clothing more frequently and includes the use of our clothes dryer almost on a daily basis.
In doing so we must remember how to properly care for the dryer and the consequences if we do not.
The Toms River Bureau of Fire Prevention encourages residents to pay particular attention to lint build up in the clothes dryer vents as well as the exhaust ducts.

Frequently, lint build up blocks the flow of air, causing excessive heat which could result in a fire. In reviewing the U.S. consumer product commission reports, they estimate 15,000 fires associated with clothes dryers occur annually. These fires account for an average of 10 fatalities and over 300 injuries coupled with 85 million dollars in property damage each year.

Additionally, first responders and civilians alike are at risk during those responses.
You can help us in Toms River reduce unnecessary alarms and prevent fires from occuring by following these simple fire safety tips:

Clean the lint screen/filter before or after each load of clothes

Check the outside dryer vent while the dryer is running to make sure exhaust air is escaping

Clean behind the dryer where lint can build up

Have a Qualified service person clean the interior of the dryer chasis periodically
Replace plastic or foil, accordian type ducting material with rigid metal duct
Keep the area around the dryer clean and free of clutter

The begining of the school year is an excellent time for families to review their escape plan, test smoke and carbon monoxide detectors and consider the installation of residential fire sprinkler systems.

Fire Prevention Week 2011-2012

Fri, 17 Sep 2010 18:10:00 +1900

Our families are our greatest assets, Have you protected yours ?

This years fire prevention theme is.... PROTECT YOUR FAMILY FROM FIRE. As a family go from room to room and identify possible fire hazards. Then take the appropriate action to remove them Also, Your smoke alarm has the power to save your life. or does it ??????

Working smoke alarms give us early warning of fire, providing us extra time to escape safely
but they can't do there job unless we have done ours. Please take a few moments each month to test each of your smoke detectors and ensure they are funtioning properly.

Rehearse your family escape plan with children and include in your plan folks who may be to young or disabled to act on there own. Life safety is everyones responsibilty, let's all do our part

Fire Prevention Week October 9-15