1. Webinar: Fire Prevention Partnerships
2017 OASBO
“Brown Bag”
Webinar: Fire Prevention Partnerships
Presented by:
Scott Neufeld
Director of Risk
Management

2. Agenda History of our partnership Struggles Successes Risks
Evidence for needed improvements
Fostering the Partnership

3. Report School Fires Program
History of the program
2004 partnership with State Fire Marshall to create the program
2011 Updated video and Materials
In 2004, Special Districts Association of Oregon (SDAO) and the Oregon Office of the State Fire Marshal worked together to develop a program to improve reporting on school fires. SDAO decided to work on this program as a way to provide another resource to our member fire districts and give back to them with a grant program. This also helped to address the risk of fires in Oregon schools, which SDAO also insured at that time through the Oregon Education Risk Pool (OERP). In 2006, OERP merged with another insurance risk pool and was moved outside the umbrella of SDAO. Since that time, SDAO has continued to work on and promote this program and provide grants to member fire districts.

4. Goals of the program Build/Foster Partnership Provide Resources
Surveillance
Posters
Ultimately the goal is to reduce the likelihood of fires in Oregon schools the four main goals here are how we are trying to do that.

5. Partnerships “You will always remember the day your school burned”
Gary Sisk
Maintenance Director
Ashland School District School District
Having a strong partnership between the school and fire service is crucial.
Helps to build
Open communication
Trust
Expectations
Talk about our partnership with Gary

6. Pages 8-11 in your handouts

8. Nothing sets an expectation with students better than apprehending their peers. They quickly learn to not mess around with school facilities when they realize that the school and the fire district are not going to tolerate recklessness with fire.

9. Surveillance Partner with community groups to patrol school facilities
Fire Service
Law Enforcement
School District Staff
Volunteer Association (PTA, Firefighters…)
Rotary
Other Community Groups
Schools or most vulnerable during evening, weekend and breaks in the school year. Just asking community groups to keep their eyes out can help reduce the chance or severity of a fire.

10. Struggles Lack of a relationship Lack of reporting
Not recognizing the hazard
No staff education on the topic
Lack of relationships on all levels have caused struggles related to the report school fire program
Fire and School
School Admin and staff
Chief and firefighters
SDAO and city fire departments
SDAO Fire Districts members with no schools
Volunteer only fire districts (how do you contact them)

11. Struggles Lack of a relationship Lack of reporting
Not recognizing the hazard
No staff education on the topic
SDIS Risk staff continue to see on a regular basis evidence of reckless burning that is not being reported to the fire service. We also often hear of trash can fires that are extinguished by staff that go unreported.
WE at SDAO struggle to communicate these with you and could do a better job (and confirm if they have a relationship with the fire service)
Often the cause is a lack of understanding from staff that they should be reporting these things to administrators
Our schools and fire districts are not notifying SDAO when problems arise to see if we can help.

12. The underside of a slide that has been melted

14. Burn marks on a poured in place shock absorbing system on a playground.

15. Garbage can fire next to front entrance of a school

16. Struggles Lack of a relationship Lack of reporting
Not recognizing the hazard
No staff education on the topic
Not all of the hazards are code issues!
School Staff not recognizing the hazards of
- where they store combustibles
behaviors they may witness in students that could be indications of needed interventions.
Discuss student at Roseburg that used a lighter to setoff a sprinkler head under the stairs.

17. Struggles Lack of a relationship Lack of reporting
Not recognizing the hazard
Staff not educated on the topic
What is typically the fire services role in education with local schools? The elementary age kids?
Schools not talking to their staff and setting expectations when they see
- Reporting any fire
- signs of reckless burning
- fire setter behaviors.
- Securing of facilities
In the fire service are we talking to our volunteers and line staff about some of the same topics
Or asking them to drive by and pay attention to your surroundings
How many times have your staff seen pallets stored next to a building?
Have they ever stopped and talked to principals about the fire concerns related to this…

18. Success Stories Standing rewards
Share what La Grande SD used to do with their standing $25 reward

19. Share what La Grande SD used to do with their standing $25 reward

20. Success Stories Scappoose School District fire in 2005
AKA the chicken fire
Early report by a volunteer firefighter

22. Risks SDAO sees in schools
Supervision and securing of facilities

23. Risks SDAO sees in schools
Storage of Combustible Material
I don’t think all of these are code issues
We have seen losses due to them

25. Staff don’t want to walk in the rain an put them in covered areas

26. Schools like opening up their facilities to the public
Schools like opening up their facilities to the public. This causes some problems such as trash and restroom use.
So they add garbage cans and outhouses to address these issues.
Do you see any fire risks in this picture? Any code issues?

27. What’s left of a port a potty after a fire
What’s left of a port a potty after a fire. This was the District’s cold storage for their food which caused other problems for the District.
We talked with other fire districts that have dealt with repeated outhouse arson fires (not all of them at schools)

28. The Biggest Difficulty
Schools not reporting fires
Does not allow you get your foot in the door and do assessments and interventions
Limits your ability assess the scope of the problem
- From a local and state level (OSFM reporting)
They are not utilizing the resources and partnerships that are available to them
Talk about the Chief who’s son came home from school and told Dad their was a fire.
This fire was not reported
Went to the school pissed off
Does not foster the relationship at this point, but was needed.

29. Evidence that there is room for improvement

34. The report school fires program
If you have not seen the materials or need more contact us or The State Fire Marshal

35. Risk Management Department
Questions?
Risk Management Department