Lady's Island Offers Residents the Real Thing in Firefighting

With the flip of a switch, the firefighters at Lady's Island-St. Helena Fire District can summon just about any type of fire a person might encounter.

An unassuming piece of metal training equipment rests on the concrete outside the fire station, but when Capt. Scott Baldwin hits a button, flames erupt and firefighting begins. Before the switch is flipped, the participants in the new community training program are instructed to PASS: pull the pin on the extinguisher, aim at the base of the fire, squeeze the handle and sweep to put out the fire. They also are told some basic fire safety rules, including putting themselves between an exit and the fire. Then they are given the go-ahead to fight the fire.

The department bought the BullEx fire extinguisher prop, the equipment that produces the fire-on-demand, last month to supplement a program aimed at teaching residents how to use a fire extinguisher on a real fire, Baldwin said. The department is using the device as part of its public education program that familiarizes the community with emergency situations so if the real thing happens, people know what to do. The training includes fighting three common types of fires: normal combustibles such as wood, combustible liquids such as gas or frying oil, and electrical.

Fire department public affairs officer Lee Levesque said the department gets the money back ten-fold when people take the training and use it. "Before we had to tell people to imagine a fire," Levesque said."We have a better tool to educate the public on fire safety, specifically fire extinguishers and smoke detectors." He said having extinguishers and detectors in working order and knowing how to use them greatly reduces the chance of injury in a fire.

To make sure people know this, Levesque said the free fire extinguisher training program is available to local groups of 15 to 20 people, provided they contact the department and are flexible with dates. With the new prop, that training also can be tailored to the group -- trash-can fires for offices or electrical fires for industrial work groups.

The department's fire safety programs, which focus on prevention and awareness, also include providing smoke detectors to people within its jurisdiction. Fire extinguishers commonly used in home cost between $15 and $25 and should be replaced annually. Smoke detectors should have the batteries replaced twice a year.

"We're committed to making sure people have that $25 life insurance policy," Levesque said.

By Alexis Garrobo Courtesy of the Beaufort Gazette (S. Carolina)

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