By: Erin Haskell
Vineland- Requests have been pouring into the Vineland Fire Department from schools and community groups around the city hoping local firefighters will come out and educate the public about fire safety for National Fire Prevention Month in October.
According to Lieutenant Tony Saltar, Head of the Public Education Unit on Fire Prevention, “ Fire prevention month seems to turn into fire prevention months because we get so many requests around this time. As of right now we are booked from October to the end of November.”
Most of the fire prevention program requests come from schools around the area seeking to educate children of all ages about the importance of fire safety. The Fire Department offers a variety of activities and curriculums for students from pre-school ages to fourth grade that go with each grade level.
“We developed a program with a DVD series called Rainbow Valley and incorporated activities that allow the kids to learn something totally different about the Fire Department each year,” said Saltar. “This way they will learn about what firefighters do, what is an emergency, and what each type of tool is, at their own level.”
With money donated through grants and local companies in the Vineland area, the Fire Department has been able to offer new technological advances in fire prevention such as fire extinguisher simulators and a $10,000 robotic mascot known as “Sparky the Fire Dog.” The Fire extinguisher simulator allows the public to squirt laser extinguishers at a flat screen which puts out a “fire” simulated on the screen from 12 feet away.
“We decided to go with this (fire extinguisher simulator) because it’s less hazardous,” said Saltar. “It allows us to go around to local businesses such as the South Jersey Regional Medical Center and train the staff on proper fire extinguisher usage.”
The Vineland Fire Department attends a great number of city events each year including the events of Home Depot, Cumberland Mall, The Arts and Crafts Show, Senior Day, SPCA, and with various shows for local churches, downtown events, and the Boy and Girl Scouts of America.
According to Fire Marshal Michael Cifaloglio, “We do a lot of public education events each year but it’s getting harder because the budget took a hit last year. We do the best we can.”
One of the main goals of the Fire Department is to make sure that everyone has a working smoke detector installed in their house. They often give out free smoke detectors to families in need, budget permitting.
“With a fire call we test everything before we leave the premises such as if the smoke detectors are working,” said Saltar. “It’s part of our job and it gives us a better chance of saving somebody or their house. Life is number one and property is number two.”
A lot of people do not have working smoke detectors in their homes because they can’t afford it or don’t know when it’s broken. In order to ensure that your smoke detector is working, you must press the test button located on the front of your system which will make a loud beep, ensuring that your smoke detector is in good condition. Batteries for smoke detectors should be changed at least once a year.
“Smoke detectors are very important,” said Cifaloglio. “I wouldn’t sleep in my house without them.”
The Vineland Fire Department teaches on average 6,000 children through schools and 6,000 citizens through community events. With numerous programs for younger children the Fire Department hopes to reach out to the high school levels in the future.
“A lot of kids at this grade level are graduating and going into college and they’re not educated on what could happen,” said Saltar. “The fire prevention team for the city is trying to establish a way that we can start from grades 8 and up and have a day of fire education for them.”
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