A fire can start at any time and having your employees trained to properly use a fire extinguisher is important. It could be the difference between saving or losing your property or life. In fact, giving you confidence to react quickly during an emergency is a big part of our passion for helping you protect your people and your business. With the right portable fire extinguisher and proper training, you can be well prepared to extinguish small fires. Through hands-on training with fire simulations in a safe learning environment, our professional instructors will educate your staff on the basics of fire extinguisher locations, common fire hazards, proper procedures, safe evacuation routes, and more.

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OUR EXTINGUISHER TRAINING PROGRAM INCLUDES:

• An overview of common types of fire protection equipment

• A discussion of common extinguisher types

• Education on common causes of fires

• A review of current fire evacuation procedures

• Emergency preparedness training

• Fire hazard awareness training

• Training on P.A.S.S. method

• The different classes of fires

When emergencies happen, it takes time for professional rescuers and healthcare providers to arrive. Statistics indicate that 70%-80% of emergency incidents occur either in the home or at public places. In such cases, the person nearest at hand to the victim is often a bystander with no medical expertise such as a relative, an office colleague, or a passer-by. If those present at the scene are able to provide First-Aid and/or CPR to the victim promptly until emergency services arrive, the latter’s chances of survival are significantly increased. Whether you are in your home, at work, or at play, knowing basic first aid and CPR empowers you to help yourself, your family, and others.

When an injury or sudden illness happens, what you do in the first few minutes of the emergency can be life-saving.

We offer First Aid/CPR classes so you can have assurance of what to do in the event of an emergency until the emergency services arrives.

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The first half of this course covers basic first aid. You will see how to treat minor injuries and illnesses, and learn how to recognize and respond to life-threatening emergencies. Your actions in those first few minutes can provide comfort and reduce pain, and avoid further injury – you may even save a life!

The second half of this course focuses on CPR. You will learn how to recognize cardiac arrest, use of an automated external defibrillator (AED), and providing chest compressions. Training also includes rescue breathing for a victim that is not breathing, and emergency care for a choking victim.

At Pelham Batesville we offer the public the opportunity to tour any of our facilities so you can have a better understanding of what a firefighter's daily activities consist of and the equipment they utilize during emergencies. Fire station tours are excellent opportunities for youngsters and adults to learn what is like to be a firefighter. Tours include a look at the fire trucks and various equipment that is used to help save lives and minimize property damage. You also get the opportunity to look at some of the gear that firefighters must use to protect themselves inside of a burning building. Due to the nature of the fire and life safety business, firefighters are on-duty 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Therefore, they must train, exercise, eat, and sleep at the fire station. Many firefighters will tell you that a fire station is like a second home. 

Educating the public is the most effective way to prevent the devastating effects of fires and other injuries, and to introduce strategies to deal with these emergencies. 

To accomplish this goal, the Pelham Batesville Department delivers fire and life safety education programs for the residents and businesses of our community. Fire and Life Safety programs are offered to all ages and groups for a better understanding of fire safety and what to do and not to do in the event of a fire.

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Puppet programs are conducted for ages 4-8. Learn from Smokey the smoke detector and his friends on how to stay Fire Safe at home.

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The Fire and Life Safety House is a mobile unit that allows our

firefighters to teach children between the ages of 9-12 safe

practices in and around the home, including how to escape a fire.

 The program, which takes 20–30 minutes per group, begins with

a presentation that includes videos, pictures and other visual aids to

demonstrate the dangersof fire. Afterward, the children can apply

what they have learned when the Fire and Life Safety house is filled

with artificial smoke and everyone must escape in a safe but swift manner.

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For teenagers and adults learn how to conduct a Fire Safety Check of your home by using our Home Safety Checklist and how to find and correct fire hazards in your home. Learn “Hands-On” CPR, the proper way to use a fire extinguisher and how to check and maintain your smoke detectors.

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For Senior Adults we offer the “Remember When” class. This is a comprehensive fire and fall prevention program for senior adults in our community, to help you stay safe in your home.

Contact our Fire & Life Safety Educator to have a program designed and taught that would suit your family, class, civic group or association’s needs.

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One of the most important jobs you have as a parent

is keeping your child safe when riding in a vehicle.

Each year, thousands of young children are killed or

injured in car crashes. Some 3 out of 4 child safety

seats are not used correctly. The correct installation

of child safety seats is often very confusing to parents,

grandparents and caregivers. Proper use of car safety

seats helps keep children safe. But with so many different

seats on the marketand changes in technology, many

parents find this overwhelming. If you are expectant parents,

give yourselves enough time to learnhow to properly install the car safety seat in your car before your baby is born to ensure a safe ride home from the hospital.Pelham Batesville have several Child Passenger Safety (CPS) Technicians in our department who can check to make sure your car seats are installed correctly and teach you how to use and install a car seat on your own. 

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Child Car Seat Laws in South Carolina

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While riding in a vehicle, children under 8 years old need to be properly restrained by an approved child safety seat.

However, additional conditions apply:

• Children under 2 years old must be in a rear-facing child safety seat in a rear passenger seat of the vehicle unless the child exceeds the manufacturer's weight or height limits.

• Children 2 years old and over must be in a forward-facing child safety seat in a rear passenger seat until they exceed the manufacturer's weight and height limits.

• Children at least 4 years old, must be in a belt-positioning booster seat in a rear passenger seat. Booster seats are required to use a lap and shoulder strap.

• Children at least 8 years old or those at least 57 inches tall can use a seatbelt if:

  • The shoulder belt crosses the child's chest and not their head or neck.

  • The lap belt fits across the child's hips and thighs and not across their stomach.

  • The child is able to sit, without slouching, straight against the seat back with their knees bent over the seat edge.

All children under 8 years old must be in a rear passenger seat unless all rear seats are occupied by children under 8 years old or the vehicle does not have rear seats. Any child in the front passenger seat must be in the appropriate child safety seat for their age.

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Is your home Fire Safe?

Per the National Fire Protection Association, U.S. fire departments responded to an estimated average of 358,500 home structure fires per year during 2011-2015, which represents three-quarters of all structure fires. $6.7 billion in direct damage, or 68% of total direct damage in structure fires. Your household has a one in four chance of having a home fire large enough to be reported to a fire department during an average lifetime. Someone in your household also has a one in ten chance of suffering a fire injury in a home fire an average lifetime.

To see if your home is fire safe, download the Home Fire Safety Checklist and check your home.

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The 7 Ways to Prepare for a Home Fire

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1. Install the right number of smoke alarms. Test them once a month and replace the batteries at least once a year.        

2. Teach children what smoke alarms sound like and what to do when they hear one. 

3. Ensure that all household members know two ways to escape from every room of your home and know the family meeting spot outside of your home.

4. Establish a family emergency communications plan and ensure that all household members know who to contact if they cannot find one another.

5. Practice escaping from your home at least twice a year. Press the smoke alarm test button or yell “Fire“ to alert everyone that they must get out.

6. Make sure everyone knows how to call 9-1-1.

7. Teach household members to STOP, DROP and ROLL if their clothes should catch on fire. 

The Facts

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• Fires and burns are the leading causes of injury and death to children.

• Children are twice as likely as adults to die in a fire.

• Even toddlers can start a fire with a match or a lighter.

• Of every 100 people who die in child-set fires, 85 are children.

• A firesetter is a child under the age of 18 who has accidentally or purposely set a fire.

• Children " playing" with fire start over 100,000 reported fires annually in the United States.

• Yearly, fires set by youth cause an estimated 350 deaths and over 3,000 injuries.

• Fire protection costs and property loss attributed to youth-set fires exceeds $350 million annually.

• More than 50% of persons arrested for arson are under 18 years old.

• Almost 7% of youth arrested for arson are under the age of 10!

• More than 80% of children who set fires will be repeat offenders if left untreated.

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A child's curiosity about fire can be a natural, but dangerous thing. But if the behavior goes beyond curiosity, it may be a sign of something much more serious. The Juvenile Firesetters Intervention Program is designed to help concerned parents, teachers, counselors and other adults recognize dangerous firesetting behavior and learn the appropriate methods for managing the problem.

One of the first warning signs of a dangerous interest in fire is a fascination with matches or lighters. This behavior can escalate to actual firesetting or other destructive behavior. In fact, figures from the National Fire Incident Reporting System (NFIRS) indicate that 40 percent of the fires set in the United States are started by children, and 50 percent of the child-set fires occur in homes or structures.

The Juvenile Firesetters Intervention Program can help to reduce dangerous fireplay through fire safety education or assistance in determining whether professional counseling might benefit a child. The fire inspectors involved in the program are not counselors, but they are trained to evaluate each child's situation and recommend solutions.

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Smart Choices in Smoke Alarm Placement

Home is where most people feel the safest – but it’s also where you are most likely to experience a fatal fire. According to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), 85 percent of all fire fatalities – close to 2,650 people annually – occur in a home. Many of these deaths may have been prevented; most fire fatalities happen in the 29 percent of homes that either have inoperable smoke alarms, or no alarms, the NFPA noted.

While three-fourths of U.S. homes have at least one working alarm, the question remains as to whether they have enough alarms. Model code NFPA 72 requires newly constructed homes to have hardwired, interconnected smoke alarms on each floor, in hallways and inside of all sleeping areas. But more than 84 million homes – most built prior to 1993 – only have isolated battery- or electric-powered smoke alarms. Millions more do not have an alarm inside of bedrooms. Simply put, residents without a sufficient number of working smoke alarms are under protected and therefore at increased risk.

Recent studies identify that based on construction features and contents, families may have less than three minutes from the time the first smoke alarm sounds to escape a fire (National Institute of Standards and Technology).  The sooner an alarm is heard, the more time there is to respond. 

Because you can’t predict what type of fire will start in a home, it is important that both smoldering and flaming fires are detected as quickly as possible.  Therefore, both photoelectric and ionization technology – either in a mix of single technology alarms or a combination alarm -- is optimal. However, the most important thing is to ensure that there are working UL-listed smoke alarms on every floor of the home, in hallways, in living areas, inside bedrooms and outside of sleeping areas.

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The Bedroom:

• More than half (55%) of all home fire fatalities occur in the bedroom. (USFA)  

  • More than a third (35%) of the victims were asleep at the time of the fire.

• Half of all home fire fatalities occur between the hours of 10 p.m. and 6 a.m., when most people are asleep. (NFPA)

• Since it is recommended to sleep with bedroom doors closed to assist in limiting the spread of a fire, it is important to place alarms within each bedroom as the shut door can cut the decibel level of an alarm outside of the room nearly in half – from 85 db to 46 db. (CPSC)

Kitchen:

• Cooking is the leading cause of home fires and injuries in the United States, and the third leading cause of home fire deaths. (NFPA)

• 41% of reported home fires start in the kitchen, resulting in 15% of home fire deaths. (NFPA)

• Install smoke alarms at least 20 feet from cooking appliances to prevent nuisance alarms. Also ensure the alarm has a hush button, which will temporarily halt the alarm during a nonemergency.  

Hallways:

• Because sleeping areas are often located furthest from the exits of a house, it is important that smoke alarms be installed in the hallways and on all exit routes from bedrooms.

• Install smoke alarms on the hallway ceiling outside of sleeping areas.

Living Area:

• Although only 4% of home fires start in the living room, family room, or den, these fires cause 24% of deaths. (NFPA) 

• After the bedroom, most smoking-related fires occur in the living room. (NFPA)

• Typically, abandoned or carelessly discarded smoking materials ignite trash, bedding or upholstery. 

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Smoke Detector Installation Tips:

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• Install at least one smoke alarm on each level or story of a multi-story dwelling, inside and outside of sleeping areas, in hallways, and living/kitchen areas.

• Since smoke travels up, smoke alarms should be installed on the ceiling or high on a wall. Mount on the ceiling as close to the center as possible and at least four inches away from the wall.

• Install alarms 20 feet away from "sources of combustion particles" (stoves, furnace, water heater, etc.) that could cause nuisance alarms, such as in the kitchen. 

• Install 10 feet away from bathrooms or other damp, humid areas. The steam can often set off nuisance alarms.

• Do not install in areas where the temperature is below 40 or higher than 100 degrees Fahrenheit, such as an attic. Colder or warmer temperatures might set off false alarms and shorten the life of the alarm’s battery.

• The living area smoke alarm should be installed in the living room and/or near the stairway leading to the upper level. The alarm should not be located in the stairway.

• Do not install in areas where the temperature is below 40 or higher than 100 degrees Fahrenheit, such as an attic. Colder or warmer temperatures might set off false alarms and shorten the life of the alarm’s battery.

• The living area smoke alarm should be installed in the living room and/or near the stairway leading to the upper level. The alarm should not be located in the stairway.

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Testing Smoke Alarms

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• Smoke alarms should be maintained according to manufacturer’s instructions.

• Test smoke alarms at least once a month using the test button.

• Make sure everyone in the home understands the sound of the smoke alarm and knows how to respond.

• Follow manufacturer’s instructions for cleaning to keep smoke alarms working well. The instructions are included in the package or can be found on the internet.

• Smoke alarms with non-replaceable 10-year batteries are designed to remain effective for up to 10 years. If the alarm chirps, warning that the battery is low, replace the entire smoke alarm right away.

• Smoke alarms with any other type of battery need a new battery at least once a year. If that alarm chirps, warning the battery is low, replace the battery right away.

• When replacing a battery, follow manufacturer’s list of batteries on the back of the alarm or manufacturer’s instructions. Manufacturer’s instructions are specific to the batteries (brand and model) that must be used. The smoke alarm may not work properly if a different kind of battery is used.