Fire Prevention and Safety


 


Fire Prevention Office

The Fire Prevention Office’s primary concern is the prevention of injury or loss of life as a result of fire, explosion, or hazardous material release by offering training in how to prevent fires, how to react if a fire occurs and how to make your home or business safe.

The Fire Prevention Office is also responsible for reviewing new construction plans, performing fire inspections, enforcing the fire code, and educating the public on fire and general safety practices. Our inspectors install residential lockboxes, instruct residents and businesses on proper fire extinguisher use, and will install smoke and carbon monoxide detectors for residents after they have purchased them. They will also visit homes to do a survey of what they need.

Annually, the Department conducts an educational fire safety program to all Strongsville third-graders during Fire Prevention Week and trains more  than 500 residents and business people in CPR and  first aid.

If you would like a home fire inspection or have a fire prevention or safety question, please contact the Fire Prevention Bureau at 440-580-3225 or click here. Strongsville Fire and Emergency Services has developed a Home Fire Safety Guide to help residents be better prepared to fight the dangers of fire. You can find facts about carbon monoxide safety and detectors by clicking here.

Free training experiences include:

For children:

  • Group station tours
  • Fire safety trailer for 3rd graders
  • Safety Town
  • Fire Academy for Kids  
















For adults:

  • Safety Awareness Seminars
  • Fire Safety in the Workplace
  • Fire Safety in the Home
  • Fire Extinguisher Training
  • CPR



Help Us Help You -- Make Your Address Visible

Residents are reminded to make sure that addresses are clearly marked on the front of the house, and curbside mailboxes should have large reflective numbers placed on both sides. Response time can be even quicker when someone goes out near the road and directs us to the emergency scene.

Severe Weather

As our area experiences severe weather, it is important to be prepared. Please review these tips from the Cuyahoga County Department of Emergency Management regarding:

Flooding  

Severe Thunderstorms    

Power Outages

Smoke Detectors Save Lives

Smoke detectors are the single most important life-saving device in the home. Most fatal home fires happen between midnight and 6 a.m. when people are sleeping. Every home should have at a minimum one smoke detector on every level of the house and it is also recommended to have one in every bedroom.

Smoke detectors should be tested monthly and the batteries should be changed twice a year when you change your clock. Smoke detectors have a useful service life of 10 years and they should be replaced to ensure proper functioning. If you are not certain of the age of your detectors, please replace them. If you need assistance installing detectors, we will gladly help.  Smoke detectors save lives!!

Every home should take the time to develop a family escape plan. The plan should include two exits from every room, a predetermined meeting place outside, and should be practiced once a year. Once you safely escape your house, never re-enter the structure. Parents need to test their detectors as part of the annual drill while children are asleep to determine if the detector will wake the children. Many younger children are not disturbed by the sound of the detector in alarm.

If your clothes catch on fire, remember to stop, drop, cover your face and roll.In order to escape the potentially deadly effects of smoke, poisonous gases, and super-heated air, stay low and crawl under the smoke.·

Smokers should exercise extreme caution when disposing of cigarette butts. Every year a number of fires are caused by carelessly discarded cigarettes. Some fires have occurred when the butts are dropped into landscaping mulch, smoldering for a long time before flames occur. Unfortunately, some of these fires have caused extensive damage to homes and property.

Also, never smoke in bed, when you are tired, or under the influence of drugs or alcohol because of the dangers of falling asleep – or losing track of the cigarette and catching your clothes on fire.A five-pound A-B-C, dry chemical fire extinguisher is recommended for every household. Although it is not a substitute for calling the fire department, with proper training it may limit damages in the event of a fire. The procedure for using a fire extinguisher is PASSPull the pin, Aim the nozzle, Squeeze the handle, and Spray at the base of the fire.  


Carbon Monoxide

Each year in the United States, carbon monoxide poisoning sends more than 10,000 people to hospital emergency rooms and  claims hundreds of lives. Malfunctioning heating equipment is the primary source of carbon monoxide leaks. The best protection is prevention – have your furnace inspected and maintained by a certified professional heating contractor. Also, when warming up your car, back it out of the garage to prevent carbon monoxide from entering the house. Homeowners should protect their families by installing carbon monoxide (CO) detectors that provide protection and peace of mind by detecting dangerous levels of carbon monoxide gas, which is odorless, colorless and tasteless. For more information, click here. Also, do you know the sounds of CO safety -- what it means when your alarm beeps or chirps? Find out here.
 

Portable Heaters

Portable heating equipment has become the second leading cause of home fires in the US and the 3rd leading cause of home fire deaths in the US. According to the National Protective Fire Association, (NFPA) between the years of 2011-2015, portable and stationary space heaters “account for 43 percent of U.S. home heating fires and 85 percent of associated deaths”.

Please be careful and use an abundance of caution and common sense when using portable space heaters. The statistics do not lie and following the safety recommendations below can save you and your family’s life and property.   

  • Turn off space heaters when you leave the room, house, or go to bed.     
  • Do not leave space heaters unattended.
  • Only use equipment that has the Underwriters Laboratories (UL) mark which shows that the product has been safety tested.
  • Turn off the space heater if the cord becomes hot.
  • Plug space heaters directly into the socket instead of into an extension cord.
  • Place the heater on the floor and never on a counter top or on furniture.
  • Combustible materials such as blankets, curtains and newspapers can easily catch on fire.   Be sure to keep these types of materials at least three feet away from space heaters.
  • The use of kerosene or propane space heaters is strictly prohibited and illegal for residential use. They pose a high risk of death and injury, and generate carbon monoxide.
  • Click here for more

If you have any questions, please contact Strongsville Fire and Emergency Services Department, Office of Fire Prevention at 440-580-3225

Thanksgiving Safety

Click here for tips for a safe holiday meal.

Holiday Safety 

Safety with lights, candles and fireplaces

Fire Sprinkler Incentives


Federal tax law now allows business owners to deduct the cost of retrofitting their buildings with sprinkler systems as a Section 179 expense. The law provides an incentive for business owners to install the life- and property-saving fire sprinklers. The measure was supported by the International Association of Fire Chiefs, the International Association of Firefighters and the National Fire Sprinkler Association.
Strongsville Fire and Emergency Services encourages businesses to consider taking advantage of this opportunity by consulting with their tax professional and a certified fire protection company.
For an explanation of the tax reform and how it can benefit a business owner, click here, or visit the National Fire Sprinkler Association website.
 

Summer Safety Tips

  • Fireworks - Simply put, fireworks are best left to the professionals. Please click here.
  • Swimming Pools - What you need to know
  • Barbecuing -- Are you sure you're keeping your family safe?
  • Hot weather emergencies -- Some facts you need to know.
  • Bicycling - Everyone should wear a helmet when bicycling. Children 12 and under are required by law in the City of Strongsville to wear a helmet. It is important to obey all traffic laws when bicycling and to be a defensive driver to anticipate what other drivers are going to do.
  • Gasoline - A spontaneous fire may ignite as a result of static electricity when filling portable gas cans. Gas cans should be removed from the vehicle and placed on the ground. When filling the container, contact should be made with the gas nozzle and the container and maintained throughout the filling process to help dissipate the static electricity. People are also reminded not to re-enter their vehicle during the filling process and to avoid using portable electronic devices, such as cell phones, while filling gas cans.

Winter Safety Tips

  • Fireplaces – A fireplace can be cozy, but can lead to damaging fires in the home, most often caused by heat radiating from a chimney or the fireplace to adjacent combustible materials. Fireplaces and chimneys should be inspected and cleaned regularly and short, hot fires are better than long, smoldering ones. A fireplace screen, or preferably glass doors, should be used to keep embers from escaping the fireplace. A fire should never be left unattended, especially with children around, and the fire should be extinguished before leaving home or going to bed. Dry wood should be stored a safe distance from the fire and flammable liquids should never be used to start a fire. Ashes should be removed after they have been allowed to cool for several days and place in a metal container.
  • Alternative Heating Sources – As you get your monthly gas bills and notice the increase cost of heating their homes, you may be tempted to use alternative heating devices. If you use space heaters, electric, kerosene, or propane, you must keep all combustible material at least three feet away. Space heaters are intended to be used as supplemental heat only and should be turned off when leaving home or going to bed. Electric space heater should be plugged directly into the wall outlet without using an extension cord. Kerosene heaters should be refueled with clean fuel and away from any open flames. It is important to avoid an explosion by storing kerosene in a properly designed and well-marked container.
  • Christmas Tree Safety – Live Christmas trees should be freshly cut and the tree stand kept full of water. A tree that is shedding its needles is a sign of a dry tree. If you use an artificial tree, be sure it is flame-retardant and has a UL seal. Trees and all flammable decorations should be kept away from open flame and other heat sources and they should not be placed close exit doorways. All electric lights should be Underwriters’ Laboratory (UL) approved, electrical circuits should not be overloaded, and the use of extension cords should be avoided. Electrical cords should not be run under rugs or through doorways because over time the wires will become frayed and cause an electrical short or can become a trip hazard.
  • Candle Safety - Use candles with extreme care, keeping them a safe distance from any combustible materials. Candles should be used in non-combustible candle holders and extinguished before leaving home or going to bed.