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Installing hurricane shutters can be time-consuming and difficult, so many residents leave some or all of them up year round or for the remainder of hurricane season after the initial storm has passed. While this might save some time and effort, it is not worth the threat it creates to your life safety.

During a hurricane, shutters protect your home from wind, rain, and flying debris. However, hurricane shutters can be unsafe and even deadly when left on your windows the rest of the year. If a fire were to occur in your home, how would you get out? And just as importantly, how would firefighters get in to help you?  Hurricane shutters are designed to withstand hurricane-force winds, and if they can keep debris from entering your home, they can keep firefighters from entering and you from escaping.

Did you know the majority of fires occur at night?  Keeping that in mind, if a fire broke out in your home while you were in your bedroom how would you escape?  Maybe you could use the bedroom door, but if the fire is outside of that door your only other way out is the window.  Devastatingly, there have been a number instances in Florida where firefighters haven’t been able to get into burning homes due to hurricane shutters being left on all year round.

In 2004, four children and an adult were killed in a house fire in Homestead, Florida. State records show that the windows were covered in plywood and burglar bars. That same year, a 53-year-old man was trapped inside his home in Fort Lauderdale during a fire. He had metal hurricane shutters on his home, and the fire department had trouble cutting through the shutters. In both situations, there was no threat of a hurricane or tropical storm.

Remember, as we enter into the typically more active part of our Hurricane Season, hurricane shutters should only be up when storms are threatening.  Hurricane shutters, when used correctly, aren’t dangerous. In fact, when deployed during a storm, hurricane shutters protect your home from rain and flying debris.  But in order to truly protect your home and your family, the best thing you can do is to only deploy hurricane shutters when there’s an imminent threat of a hurricane. For more information regarding hurricane preparedness please give us a call at 239-267-7525 or visit http://www.leegov.com/

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June 20th is the first official day of summer but I think most of our local kids would agree that summer begins today, the last day of school for Lee County students.  San Carlos Park Fire District would like to remind drivers about the importance of keeping kids safe throughout the summer months.

Keep in mind, kids will be excited and may not be thinking about their personal safety as they take those first few steps off the bus or out of school today so drivers need to be extra cautious in looking for child pedestrians. Here are a few more tips to keep our community’s children safe today and for the reminder of their summer break.

-Use extra caution when driving through school zones and be aware kids may be leaving school at different times than normal today.

-Watch for clues, a hockey net or ball in the road or on the sidewalk can mean kids are playing nearby. Pay attention and always anticipate the unexpected.

-Always watch for small children as you’re backing up. Walk around your vehicle to make sure no kids or pets are behind it.

-Parks and playgrounds get more use during summer months. Observe carefully when driving around these areas. Small children are less predictable and harder to see than adults.

Thank you for joining SCPFD in keeping children safe this summer!

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San Carlos Park Fire Protection and Rescue Service District recently partnered with Golisano Children’s Hospital and Florida Emergency Medical Services for Children (EMSC)  to prevent drowning in our community. Members of SCPFD and Golisano came together at San Carlos Park Elementary to educate Kindergartners on the three water safety rules they must learn before going near water:
1. You must learn to swim.
2. You must always wear your life vest.
3. Most importantly, you must always have a grown-up watching you whenever you are near the water.

In Florida, drowning is the leading cause of death for children under age 5 and the second leading cause in children ages 5-14. This  community outreach effort was a part of EMS Week which is May 15th-21st and included an interactive water safety story and a tour of the Golisano Neonatal and Pediatric Ambulance.  Kindergarten students at San Carlos Park Elementary were read Stewie the Duck Learns to Swim, a child’s first guide to water safety. Written for children ages two through six, the book conveys an important message of how to be safe near the water through the story of Stewie, a duck who wants to swim with the ‘big ducks,’ but is prevented from going in the water by his older sister until he learns the water safety rules.

Stewie the Duck Learns to Swim mobile app for iPad and iPhone is now available free of charge (https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/stewie-the-duck-learns-to-swim/id514573567?mt=8).  The ibook features read-to-me audio and contains interactive animations, sound effects, a memory game, and a sing-along.

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San Carlos Park Fire District is proud to announce two SCPFD Firefighters were recipients of the Phoenix Award at a ceremony held earlier today. Firefighter Paramedic James Shober and Firefighter EMT Justin Yates were awarded this honor for, through their advance training and dedication, contributing to the successful resuscitation of a patient in cardiac arrest.

Firefighter Paramedic James Shober

 Firefighter EMT Justin Yates

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San Carlos Park Fire Protection and Rescue Service District has been awarded a Class 2 Public Protection Classification (PPC) rating by the Insurance Services Office (ISO), an organization that independently evaluates municipal fire protection efforts in communities throughout the United States.  The rating is used by insurance companies nationally as a standard for their premiums.  The Class 2 rating is the second highest possible score that can be given to any fire department nationwide, with only 2% of the Nation’s Fire Departments reaching this elite rating of fire protection.

In March of 2016, ISO upgraded San Carlos Park’s Public Protection Classification (PPC) from a Class 3 to a Class 2. Nationally, just 1,164 of 48,632 fire protection agencies achieved a Class 2, with only 178 achieving a Class 1. This improved rating may mean savings for property owners within the District as ISO considers a fire district’s PPC rating an important factor for insurance companies when determining prices for personal and commercial property insurance. ISO looks at many factors when determining a classification.  Some of these include staffing, fire training, how often apparatus are maintained and tested, personnel training, public education, water supply and flow, emergency dispatching and communication, and equipment. This rating will take effect on July 1, 2016.

Chief David Cambareri said, “Achievement of a Class 2 rating is a true testament to the hard work and diligence of our staff. I am continually impressed with their commitment to better the service we provide those who live in and visit San Carlos Park Fire District. Whether it is training, responding to emergencies, fire and life safety education, or life safety inspections, their desire to excel is what has made our District one of the best in the Nation.”

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San Carlos Park Fire District is pleased to announce we have joined Nextdoor, an online social networking site designed to encourage community engagement by bringing neighbors, neighborhoods, and public safety agencies together.

As your Fire District,  will be utilizing Nextdoor to share valuable information on topics such as fire and life safety, community events, services we offer to our residents, and emergency notifications.

Take this opportunity to click the link below and connect with us on on Nextdoor to build safer neighborhoods in San Carlos Park Fire Protection and Rescue Service District.

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Please follow the link below for information regarding the Fire Inspector Employment Opportunity.

San Carlos Park Fire Protection Fire Inspector Job Posting

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Hear the Beep Where You Sleep

If I asked you where your smoke alarms are in your home, could you tell me? If you’re like many people, you may not pay much attention to where smoke alarms have been installed. However, location matters when it comes to smoke alarms.

Smoke alarms should be installed inside each bedroom, outside each sleeping area and on every level of the home, including the basement.

Working smoke alarms are a critical fire-safety tool that can mean the difference between life and death in a home fire. According to the nonprofit National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), smoke alarms can cut the chance of dying in a home fire in half. Meanwhile, NFPA data shows that home fires killed 2,755 people in 2013, an average of eight people every day that year. Many of these deaths could have been prevented with the proper smoke alarm protection.

As a member of the fire service for over 20 years, I’ve seen the devastating effects of fire first-hand; the burn injuries, the loss of homes and possessions are distressing. What’s even worse is witnessing a family’s anguish after a loved one has been killed in a fire. It’s heartbreaking.

As the official sponsor of Fire Prevention Week, October 4-10, 2015, NFPA is promoting “Hear the Beep Where You Sleep. Every Bedroom Needs a Working Smoke Alarm!” to better educate the public about the true value of working smoke alarms in the bedroom. In support of these efforts, San Carlos Park Fire District will be hosting educational activities throughout the whole month of October.

My sincere hope is that all San Carlos Park residents and make sure there are working smoke alarms installed throughout their homes. These simple steps can help make a life-saving difference, and prevent the potentially life-threatening impact of fire.

Here are additional smoke alarm tips to follow:

1. Install smoke alarms in every bedroom, outside each separate sleeping area and on every level of the home, including the basement.
2. Interconnect all smoke alarms throughout the home. When one sounds, they all sound.
3. Test alarms each month by pushing the test button.
4. Replace all smoke alarms, including alarms that use 10-year batteries and hard-wired alarms, when they are 10 year old or sooner if they do not respond properly.
5. Make sure everyone in the home knows the sound and understands what to do when they hear the smoke alarm.
6. If the smoke alarm sounds, get outside and stay outside.
Go to your outside meeting place. Call the fire department from outside the home.

To learn more about Fire Prevention Week the visit NFPA’s Web site at www.firepreventionweek.org.

Yours in Service,

Fire Chief David Cambareri

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Each morning as the big yellow bus rounds the corner, parents send their children off to school with the expectation they will remain safe.  As children strap on backpacks filled with books, pick out their always important back to school outfits and ultimately kick off another school year we each must do our part to  assure our children remain safe.

Schools in San Carlos Park Fire District are back in session Monday, August 24th and SCPFD would like to remind its residents to SLOW DOWN.  SPCFD will be posted at the high traffic areas and school zones throughout San Carlos Park reminding residents school is back in session and encouraging safe driving behaviors.

In the United States, 4,092 pedestrians died from traffic-related injuries in 2009, and another 59,000 sustained nonfatal injuries (NHTSA 2009). One-fifth (19%) of the traffic fatalities among children ages 5-9 years were  sustained by pedestrians (NHTSA 2009).  While driving, pedestrians can be very hard to see.  Due to their smaller size, children may be especially difficult to see if they are standing between parked cars on the side of the road.

For drivers, remember to slow down and be especially alert in the residential neighborhoods and school zones; take extra time to look for kids at intersections, on medians and on curbs; and enter and exit driveways and alleys slowly and carefully.  Remind your children to cross the street at corners, using traffic signals and  crosswalks; never run out into the streets or cross in between parked cars; and to make sure they always walk in front of the bus where the driver can see them.

Be on the lookout for students and your SCPFD Firefighters on the 24th and join us in accepting the  responsibility to keep safety in mind during your commute so we may be sure children return home safely each evening.

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The San Carlos Park Fire Rescue and Service Protection District will cook for you to raise money for a Charity.  Contact us at 239-267-7525 to find out more.