News & Articles from Mobile Concepts
Fire Safety House Provides Aid During Busy Hurricane Season
After Hurricane Charley slammed into the city of Punta Gorda, Florida
with 145 mile per hour winds on Aug. 13, the fire department needed a place
to house personnel who had arrived to help with the massive cleanup efforts.
The departments Fire Safety House, manufactured by Mobile Concepts by
Scotty, was called up for duty of a different sort. Assistant Fire Chief
Matthew Free said they used the trailer to house extra personnel.
When other fire departments were here for assistance, there was an average
of four people staying in the Fire Safety House at one time, said Free.
The generator allowed the air conditioning to run and made it pretty
comfortable for the crew after working all day long in the heat and the
humidity.
The Fire Safety House was transferred to Station No. 3, it provided
temporary living quarters for two firefighters who worked on making repairs
to the station house. Station No. 3 was a two-story building and the second
floor was demolished during Hurricane Charley, said Free. The trailer gave
the firefighters a place to go between work duties.
All three fire stations in the city were damaged by Hurricane Charley. In
Station No. 1, the main headquarters, we thought wed be smart and pull all
our equipment in the main station. But the overhead doors blew out and all
our equipment was damaged, said Free. It was a shocking experience, one
that I dont want to experience again.
The Punta Gorda Fire Department received their SCOTTY Fire Safety House
through a 2002 Fire ACT Grant. Theyve used it at local schools and when the
school children come to visit the fire station. Theyve also used it at
other special events outside the city.
The hurricane season put a damper on my fire safety prevention program and
were trying to get back on track now, said Free.
The Lakeland Fire Department in central Florida was affected by three
hurricanes in 2004 Charley, Frances, and Jeanne. Hurricane Frances, a
Category Two storm, struck over the Labor Day weekend, while Jeanne, the
fourth hurricane that hit Florida, had peak winds of 120 miles per hour. We
had minimal damage to our fire stations, said Cheryl Edwards, public
information officer for the Lakeland Fire Department. However, our
community experienced quite a bit of damage flooding, roofs blown off
homes and businesses, trees down on the roads and on structures.
Lakeland Fire Department purchased their Fire Safety House in March 2003 and
have since used it extensively to teach children about EDITH Exit Drills
In The Home. Our Safety House travels to 27 public and private elementary
schools each year and approximately 8,500 students practice a fire drill in
our Safety House each year. We also have home school groups that visit the
house here at our station, said Edwards.
During the hurricane season, the Fire Safety House was tucked away inside
one of the station houses to prevent it from being damaged during the
storms. But as residents of Lakeland began cleaning up from the storms, fire
department personnel discovered some fire and safety hazards
that will be added to their adult fire safety educational program.
Edwards provided a list of those hazards that should help other communities
faced with the aftermath of powerful storms.
- Power outages When the power goes out, check all
appliances to ensure they are off and unplugged. Turn off the breakers
so when power returns you can control it. Many Lakeland residents
learned that when their power came back on, so did all their appliances,
causing fires.
- Candles - Power was out for weeks and batteries
were at a minimum. The lesson: Stock up on batteries. Learn how to use
candles safely.
- Generators People who had never used a generator
before used them during the storms. Many had no idea of their proper use
and did not read the instructions. Polk County had two fatalities from
carbon monoxide poisoning because generators were used inside houses or
in garages. The lesson: Proper use of generators is vital.
- Fences/pool enclosures Because fences and
enclosures were blown down from the storms, many waterways and pools had
direct access, thus posing a potential drowning hazard. The lesson: Make
the community aware of this potential problem before a storm. Encourage
people to fix fences quickly.
- Tarping/repairing roofs Many individuals had to
get on roofs to cover and/or repair them to minimize damage. The
Lakeland community had several fatalities from falls from roofs because
people werent experienced at climbing ladders and obtaining access to
roofs. Lesson: Provide safety information concerning ladder use and
accessing roofs. Information on the proper method to place tarps on
roofs with safety should be included in all safety education programs.
We will be adding these safety lessons to our adult fire safety
educational programs, Edwards added.
Return to Top
|