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!

As we approach the memorial day week end leading into the summer season, many Toms River residents will begin to barbeque outdoors with family and friends, but this could be one of the most hazardous seasons also if we are not safety conscious.
Grill fires account for an average of 10 fatalities each year in the US in addition to over 100 serious injuries and $ 37 million dollars in property damage. The most common cause of these grill fires is mechanical failure, leaks,breaks in the line followed by grills being placed to close to combustibles or left unattended. The Toms River Bureau of Fire Prevention offer the following tips and techniques to ensure you and family enjoy a safe and enjoyable summer season.

Use Barbecue grills safely:

Check the propane cylinder hose for leaks before using it for the first time each year. A light soap and water solution applied to the hose will reveal escaping propane quickly by releasing bubbles
If you determine your grill has a gas leak by smell or the soapy bubbles.Turn off the propane tank and have the grill serviced by a proffessional

Never use or store propane ccylinders indoors or even in the garage.
Always transport and store a cylinder in a secure and upright position so it will not fall, shift ,or roll

What does propane smell like?

Propane smells like rotten eggs, a skunks spray, or a dead animal. Propane manufactures add this smell to alert customers to potential leaks ( simular to the additive in natural gas)
Keep children away from the grill while cooking
Never leave the grill unattended

And most of all have a safe and enjoyable summer season

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.

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

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.)