Prevention and Education

Escape Planning

How long do you have to escape from a fire in your home?
When people were asked this question in a recent survey, they answered in ways that surprised us. 58% said two minutes or more. 24% estimated they had more than 10 minutes to escape a home fire. The truth is, you may have much less time to escape. A typical living room fire can threaten the entire house in just few minutes, producing life-threatening condition in upstairs bedrooms less than two minutes after the smoke alarm sounds. Your family needs to know how to get out at the first sign of a fire.

Don’t wait, plan your escape today!

Print out your own escape grid plan. Then come back here for help in making your plan. Or draw your own floor plan on a piece of paper.

Mark two ways out of every room and include windows on your plan. Every member of your household should be part of the planning. Pick a meeting place outside. Tell everyone to meet there after they’ve escaped. That way you can count heads and tell the fire department if anyone’s trapped inside.

Practice it!

Plans are great, but the only way to know if they work is to practice them. Hold a home fire drill. Getting out of your own home sounds easy, but your home can look very different if it’s full of smoke. Children in particular need to practice what to do. Have someone press the button on the smoke alarm as the signal for the drill to start.

Remember that a fire drill is not a race. Get out quickly, but carefully. Everyone should go to the meeting place. Make time to plan and praice your family’s great escape today!

Survive Alive House

This mobile trailer is designed to represent a common house. Firefighters take it to schools and general events to education the young and their families of proper procedures to escape from their homes once a fire starts. Firefighters emphasize the importance of smoke detectors and escape routes and practice them with the children. The trailer has the capability to practice 911 calls and will produce a harmless smoke to make a realistic scenario.

City Fire Statistics
Summary of fire and ambulance runs

Yearly Run Total for KAS and KFD
YearRescueFireKASI-Intercepts
1995948268795*
1996963250919*
19971044249910*
19981096272879*
19991184381834*
2000106330484226
2001120127187639
2002130528691560
2003127524866465
2004142227483369
20051470281941*
2006146926272546
2007139429374461
20081598301687103
2009166623161991
20101754248407114
20111782208122163
* No Data Available

2011 Fire Statistics

Type of incidentsNumber
Building fire13
Fires in structure other than building6
Cooking fires confined to container3
Mobile Property (vehicle) fire, Other1
Passenger vehicle fire4
Natural vegetation fire, other2
Outside rubbish fire2
Special outside fire, Other1
Cultivated Vegetation, crop fire, other1
Cultivated grain or Crop fire1
Total fire34
Excessive heat, scorching2
  
Medical assist with EMS6
Motor vehicle accident with injuries11
Motor vehicle accident without injuries20
Extrication, Rescue, Other1
Total EMS38
Hazardous condition, other1
Gasoline spill3
Natural gas leak7
Chemcial hazard, (no spill or leak)1
Carbon monoxide incidents15
Electrical wiring3
Overheated motor1
Downed power lines5
Arching electrical equipment6
Total Hazardous condition without fire42
Service calls10
Good intent calls34
False call calls48
Citizen Complaint2
Total fire calls for 2011208

Juvenile Fire Starters Program

Strike Out

The Kewanee Fire department started a juvenile firesetter program in 1999.The seriousness of the problem cannot be denied. Of all the FBI index crimes (the most serious felonies), arson has one of the highest rates of juvenile involvement. Of those arrested, more than 50 percent are age 17 and under. In fact, arson is the only crime where more minors are arrested than adults.

The A.L.E.R.T. program was designed to combat these statistics. A.L.E.R.T. stands for Arson Lowered by Education, Recognition and Treatment. In most cases a parent will contact the Fire station about a firesetting incident at home but sometimes a child will be recommended by a teacher or as a result of a fire.

The child is put through a program that involves an evaluation to determine the severity of the problem, Educational discussion and videos and follow-up visits. In some extreme cases a child can be recommended to more advanced help. In nine years , 100% of the kids that have gone through our program have gone on to normal lives with no firesetting activity.