Agenda - Council - 02/12/2002 - Laserfiche WebLink

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-306- Fire Prevention In March of 2001, the City of Ramsey implemented a fire prevention program. Because of the need for equipment to initiate the program was great and the funds to purchase them where not there, the Ramsey Fire Department applied for a grant through the Federal Emergency Management Agency and was awarded some $57,000. The city is required to place an addition 10% into the program that will allow us to conduct a through program to the residents of our city. An effective fire prevention program is broken into the four categories. These are listed below. Fire Inspections: The City of Ramsey has adopted the 1997 Uniform Fire Code (UFC) and by doing so is obligated by law to enforce the code. The UFC works hand in hand with the Uniform Building Code to reduce the risk of fire and to assure that the occupants in a building can safely get out in the event of an emergency. We look at this opportunity to visit each business on at least once a year to educate the business occupant/owner about the fire hazards that may exist within their building, and to assure that those hazards that. are located are mitigated in a timely manner. Pre-plan: While we are in these buildings, we are able to see how the business operates and document a floor plan of the building in case emergency personnel need to get into the building under abnormal conditions. This also allows us to speak to the business ownedoccupant about emergency contact information, values that need protection during a fire, shut down procedures on equipment, and the identification of the primary fire suppression equipment within the building. Fire Education: This lets us "get the word out" about fire hazards, statistics, and death rates to the community so that they can be aware of what are the commons issues dealing with fires on a national level. Each year the United States fire Administration posts statistics from fire departments across the country of the most common.types of fires, area of origin, and fatality rates. We ' take this information and focus it on our community directly by speaking face to face with them or indirectly by newsletters and such. This program focuses on those highest at risk of fire fatality who are 1) children 14 and under 2) adults 65 and older and 3) firefighters. Fire Investigation: The State of Minnesota mandates that the Fire Chief of every jurisdiction conducts a through investigation within its boundaries as to the cause and origin of every fire. With this information, identification as to the cause of the fire will be known and documented and may lead to product issues, arson trends, and common issues related to your community that you can focus your education on. This program will assist in the prosecution of those that intentionally set fires and make it known to the community that Arson is not tolerated. Today it is a national fact that 40% of all fires in the country are intentionally set, destroying property and harming innocent people. I I I I I I I i I I I I I I, I I I I