Fire Department News

Promotion

The Anderson City Fire Department is pleased to announce the promotion of Firefighter Jami Cantrell to the rank of Engineer effective July 15, 2006. the promotion was earned based on a competitive promotion exam process.

Firefighter Cantrell has been a member of the Anderson City Fire Department since July 16, 2001 and is a member of the South Carolina Army national Guard.

Firefighter Award

The Anderson City Fire Department is pleased to announce the recognition of Sergeant Brian Black as the Anderson County fire service public safety firefighter of the year by the Insurance Women of the Piedmont. Sgt. Black was recognized for his team's rescue effort at a house fire earlier this year. Pictured with Sgt. Black is IWP President Linda Rice.

Put Safety First
It is that time of year for fueling lawn mowers, garden equipment, boats, and similar equipment. With this "hands-on" use of gasoline, please remember that it is an extremely dangerous flammable liquid.

The vapor of gasoline burns, not the liquid. For example, a gasoline spill in a garage can be ignited by a source many feet away.
One gallon of gasoline has the explosive potential of 20-sticks of dynamite. Always store gasoline in a UL approved gasoline container; never in milk jugs or similar containers.
If gasoline must be stored inside a structure, such as a home, use an approved UL metal safety can.
Fuel engines before use, or allow the engine to cool before refueling. Never refuel a motor while it is running.
NEVER use gasoline to start a fire in your outdoor grill; fumes can drift back towards the person igniting the fire, and engulf in flames anyone nearby.

Firefighter's Narrative
Anderson City Fire Department Sergeant Brian Black has written a narrative detailing a firefighter's response to a structure fire.

Watch Out for Thunderstorms
The spring season brings the inevitable thunderstorm, and the possibility of resultant power outages. Fire Chief Jack Abraham offers the following fire safety tips so you can be prepared.

Protect your home with a working battery-operated smoke detector. In a power outage, a smoke detector will not detect a fire unless it has battery power.
Provide for batter-powered lighting, i.e. flashlights, with spare batteries for prolonged outages. Candles are the number one cause of fires during a power outage.
Test the battery-operated emergency lighting at work twice/year by pushing the test button and holding for 30-seconds. A dim light signifies battery replacement needed.
Check your telephone service. Fallen trees may have impacted your phone service as well as electricity.

Storm Reimbursement
Thank you for your patience, understanding, and especially your compliments on the hard work of our crews in the clean-up efforts from December's ice storm. Given the warm temperatures of February, it's hard to even remember the ice storm and havoc it wreaked. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), however, recognized the hardship placed on our community.

Anderson City Fire Chief Jack Abraham said, "Anderson County Public Safety coordinated the various city and county agencies that secured up to $204,772 in ice storm disaster aid for the City of Anderson. These dollars will help reimburse the city 75 percent of the total eligible costs for the emergency expenses incurred by the Public Works Division and the Fire Department." Anderson City Manager John Moore agreed that this was a winwin situation where state and federal dollars coupled with joint city/county efforts will help ease the financial burden for our taxpayers.

Your City Fire Department answered 103 calls during a 30-hour period for emergencies such as downed power lines and fallen trees on houses. Your Public Works Division accrued 7,358 man-hours for storm debris removal just in the period from December 15-February 4. Both departments incurred increased personnel, fuel, and equipment costs. The costs continue to mount for Public Works with the final tally estimated around 12,000 tons. Crews are expected to return to the normal weekly collection early this month. Visit this website for updates on daily collection schedules.

Emergency Training
Last month, the Anderson City Fire Department Technical Rescue Team along with participants from the Anderson County Emergency Response Team and the Clemson University Fire Department completed training for Confined Space Entry Operations. The course, taught by Battalion Chief Dale Horne and Captain Randy Bratcher with the Anderson City Fire Department, utilized materials from the SC Fire Academy as well as the training trailer which simulated actual confined space entry. Many thanks to our public safety professionals for their constant vigilance and preparation.

Local Emergency Planning
The meeting of the Anderson County Local Emergency Planning Committee (LEPC) was held at the Anderson City Fire Department headquarters station today. The program included a presentation by Melise Chastain from the Anderson County Chapter of the American Red Cross. She told the committee that as of July 1, the American Red Cross has responded to the following:

26 Single-Family Fires
32 Multi-Family Fires (including three major apartment fires)
64 Hurricane Katrina Cases
Winter Storm/Power Outage Assistance

Those responses assisted approximately 550 people. The cost for assistance to the fires and Hurricane Katrina was approximately $138,000.

The LEPC is comprised of members of the general public, first responder agencies, and general industry in Anderson County and is responsible for assisting with public awareness and preparedness, specifically for hazardous materials incidents.

Smoke Detectors

The Fire Chiefs in Anderson held a news conference Friday, January 27, to promote smoke detector use in homes and the availability of free smoke detectors to those who need them in the county, thanks to a DHEC grant. The news conference was held at the headquarters station of the Anderson City Fire Department at 400 S. McDuffie Street.

Additional information about smoke detectors.

Holiday Fire Safety Reminders
The firefighters of the Anderson City Fire Department offer the following recommendations to help avoid an accidental fire:

Inspect all electrical wiring used for decorations. Do not use any appliances with frayed wires or defective plugs.
The safest decorative lights are the micro-lights w/ built-in fuses to eliminate electrical overload of the wiring when multiple strings of lights are connected together.
Use fire retardant trees inside homes. Natural trees, which have a tendency to become dry and very flammable, can be treated with a spray-on fire retardant.
Make sure all smoke detectors are working by pressing the test button, and make sure your family has practiced an exit drill in the home.

For more info, call (864) 231-2256.

Move Over for Emergencies
If you're driving along with the windows up, a/c on high, radio blaring, you may not hear that siren. A glance in the rear view mirror reveals the flashing lights of a fire truck coming at you. What do you do?

Although emergency vehicle drivers – fire, law enforcement, EMS – are trained to drive defensively, a 19-ton fire truck has limited maneuverability. Drivers who encounter emergency vehicles should follow these suggestions:

If possible, move to the right side of the road, come to a complete stop.
If you are on the inside lane & unable to move to the right, come to a complete stop until all emergency vehicles have passed.
Remain stopped if you are at a red light of an intersection and cannot pull any further to the right. The emergency vehicle driver will drive around a line of stopped cars.
If you are turning right on red, come to a complete stop; ensure there are no emergency vehicles approaching. The driver of a rapidly approaching emergency vehicle is going to assume the right of way if (s)he has the green light.

Summer Storms
Don't let the lazy days of summer catch you with your guard down. City of Anderson Fire Chief Jack Abraham cautions that strong, summer storms can create immediate and unusual fire hazards. The US Fire Administration offers these reminders:

Lightning associated with thunderstorms generates a variety of fire hazards. The power of lightning's electrical charge and intense heat can electrocute on contact, splitting trees and causing fires.
Pools of water and even appliances can be electrically charged.
If your home has sustained flood or water damage, and you can safely get to the main breaker or fuse box, turn off the power.
Assume all wires on the ground are electrically charged, including cable TV feeds. Report downed or damaged power lines to the utility company or emergency services.

Prevent Static Electricity Fires
For many of us, gasoline is such an integral part of our everyday routine that we sometimes forget it is a highly combustible liquid – safe when dispensed properly, but extremely dangerous when handled carelessly or inattentively. The Fire Department has provided a seven-minute video, produced by Purdue University Extension of Consumer and Family Sciences, to promote consumer awareness of – and instruct the general public in – the safe and proper way to fuel vehicles, containers and equipment at service stations, and remind us of the potential hazards if not handled properly. For copies of the video on CD, call 1-800-422-2525.

Video – Do's and Don'ts at the Gas Pump (Best viewed using Windows Media Player. Download the most recent version here. Video and download page will open in new windows. )