Fighting fire
with knowledge

By Lauren Fritsky
Times Staff Writer

Lt. Dianne Mercer couldn’t have picked a more timely date for the Philadelphia Fire Department’s annual Safety and Education Seminar.
Early that morning, June 20, seven firefighters had battled a seven-alarm blaze in a warehouse in West Kensington. And just days before that, nine firefighters were killed in a warehouse blaze in Charleston, S.C.
"It’s really about getting our message out to various different sectors involved in safety," Mercer said of the event.
The 39th annual event, which was held at the Hotel Philadelphia on Roosevelt Boulevard, allows firefighters and other officials involved in the particulars of fire safety to learn new information and form connections.
Other participating agencies included the Hospital Fire Marshals’ Association, Burn Foundation, Emergency Management & Safety Programs and the Citizens’ Fire Prevention Committee.
This year, guests focused on updates to the National Incident Management System (NIMS), which provides a nationwide template to enable all government, private-sector, and non-governmental organizations to work together during domestic incidents, and the International Code & National Fire Protection Association Life Safety Code, which deals with fire protection in buildings.
"It’s all about education and enforcement," said Deputy Fire Commissioner John Devlin, who filled in for Commissioner Lloyd Ayers after the early morning fire. "Every word in those books is written in blood. There’s not one word in there that’s not there because somebody died."
In 2006, 52 fire deaths occurred throughout the city, 40 of them in properties with no or non-working fire alarms, according to fire department statistics.
The event’s keynote speaker was George Burk, a retired Air Force captain and Vietnam veteran who survived a 1970 military plane crash that killed 14 passengers and crew members.
Burk suffered burns over 65 percent of his body, experienced cardiac arrest twice and endured multiple internal injuries that required 36 major surgeries. Doctors didn’t expect him to survive.
"Burns are the worst type of injury anyone could suffer," Burk said.
Burk’s tale of survival has been recounted in several books he’s written and in a Discovery Channel documentary.
"You have to have a will to live, a will to survive," he said.
This year, the city’s fire department has tried to prevent serious fire injuries or deaths by visiting the block where a fire fatality occurred and going door to door to make sure that residents possess working smoke alarms.
The department is also pushing its Fire Safety Representative (FSR) program, which aims to appoint volunteers from each block to act as liaisons between the fire department and the community.
The department also operates the Citizens’ Fire Prevention Committee, which includes legal counsel and members of the news media who meet twice a year to brainstorm ways to spread information.
"We have really no budget for many of the programs we’ve been doing," Devlin said. "That’s why it’s important for us to go out and form partnerships."
If you or someone you know is interested in becoming a FSR or wants additional information on programs related to fire safety, call the fire department’s prevention division at 215-686-1382. ••
Reporter Lauren Fritsky can be reached at 215-354-3038 or lfritsky@phillynews.com

Answers to those
burning questions . . .

Obey these summertime fire safety tips. They come to you courtesy of the United States Fire Administration
• Never light fireworks indoors or near dry grass.
• Always have a bucket of water and/or a fire extinguisher nearby. Know how to operate the fire extinguisher properly.
• Do not wear loose clothing while using fireworks.
• Stand several feet away from lighted fireworks. If a device does not go off, do not stand over it to investigate it. Put it out with water and dispose of it.
• Before using a grill, check the connection between the propane tank and the fuel line. Make sure the venturi tubes — where the air and gas mix — are not blocked.
• Do not overfill the propane tank.
• Do not wear loose clothing while cooking at a barbecue.
• Be careful when using lighter fluid. Do not add fluid to an already lighted fire, because the flame can flashback up into the container and explode.
• Dispose of hot coals properly — douse them with plenty of water, and stir them to ensure that the fire is out. Never place them in plastic, paper or wooden containers.
• Never grill/barbecue in enclosed areas, because carbon monoxide could be produced.
• Build campfires where they will not spread, away from dry grass and leaves.
• Keep plenty of water and a shovel around to douse the fire when you’re done. Stir it and douse it again with water. ••