The Vancouver Fire Marshal’s Office was awarded a federal grant to support a program aimed at reducing the frequency and severity of residential fires.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency is providing the fire marshal’s office with $216,000 for fire prevention and safety.
Vancouver Fire Marshal Heidi Scarpelli said the money will help fund the Project HomeSafe campaign, described as a door-to-door education and outreach initiative.
“Most home fires are preventable,” Scarpelli said in a written statement. “Project HomeSafe is a community outreach effort to reduce the top three causes of residential fires in Vancouver: cooking, smoking and candles.”
About three-quarters of structure fires in the city are residential, according to Scarpelli.
“There’s a lot of regulation that protects things like commercial buildings. So, (residences) are one of the last areas we can really reduce loss of life and property, and prevent injury,” she said in an interview.
Fire safety in homes largely falls on the occupants to educate themselves, and lately, there’s been an uptick in fires ignited by discarded cigarettes. Making people aware of that trend and other issues, such as leaving your cooking unattended, will help reduce the number of incidents, Scarpelli said.
But in order to educate, fire officials need to effectively communicate. That’s why the reading materials handed out to residents have been translated to Spanish, Vietnamese and Russian.
The door-to-door fire officials don’t go inside homes unless invited to do so. If people want an inspection or free installation of a smoke detector, they can schedule an appointment for a later date.
“Once people realize we’re not selling anything, they’re really receptive and eager to learn,” Scarpelli said.
The program was launched in 2015. Deputy fire marshals and Vancouver Fire Corps volunteers visit homes to show residents simple ways to reduce the risk of fires. So far, they’ve reached out to 2,000 households.
Volunteers are a big help to the program, as firefighters are often busy being dispatched to calls. The Vancouver Fire Department and the fire marshal’s office are looking to add more members to their volunteer Fire Corps to help out with initiatives, such as the safety program.
Applications are being accepted online through Friday, Sept. 21, at cityofvancouver.us/firecorps. Applicants must be U.S. citizens, at least 16 years old, pass a background check, complete Fire Corps training, and be willing to commit to participating in five volunteer events and attend a minimum of seven monthly meetings per year.
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