Fire Museum officially opens renovated theater exhibit.

The North Charleston and American LaFrance Fire Museum and Educational Center officially opened “Are You an Escape Artist?” theater exhibit, Thursday, March 13, 2014.

In spring 2013, the Fire Museum partnered with museum exhibit and theater designers, Boston Productions Inc. to create an engaging and interactive theater experience truly unique to the museum, Lowcountry and the state. “Are You an Escape Artist?” takes guests on a fast pace, immersive and exciting adventure through fire history, knowledge, science, safety and planning and all at level that is captivating for all age groups.

The presentation will be a permanent fixture in the museum and replaces the museum’s original theater show from 2007.

1000 FREE smoke alarms from the North Charleston Fire Department

Flickr user _Pixelmaniac_

The North Charleston Fire Department and the South Carolina Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation, Division of Fire and Life Safety, are partnering to help reduce fire-related deaths and injuries through the “Get Alarmed, S.C.” smoke alarm installation program.

1000 smoke alarms will be provided to the North Charleston Fire Department for installation in homes throughout the community. In addition to installing smoke alarms, fire service personnel will provide information on general fire safety awareness and, if necessary, assist in preparing a home escape plan.

The Get Alarmed program has been credited with saving 27 lives in 13 different fires in North Charleston since its implementation in 2006. These additional alarms will help firefighters save even more lives in the city.

“Smoke alarms and fire safety awareness are essential to aid in preventing fires, injuries and fire fatalities,” S.C. State Fire Marshal Adolf Zubia said.

North Charleston Fire Chief Gregory Bulanow agrees. “This on-going partnership has been very effective in getting these life-saving devices in the homes of thousands of our residents,” he said.

Each household receiving a smoke alarm will be provided with a Smoke and Fire Safety Action Planner to assist with the development of an emergency plan of action based on each individual living situation. The Action Planner helps identify any special assistance that may be needed to help the very young, elderly or disabled escape in the event of a fire.

“Although having a working smoke alarm doubles your chances of surviving a fire, it is not the total answer in making your home fire safe, it is just the beginning,” Zubia said. “Practicing good fire safety behaviors and being prepared to take action should an emergency occur will serve to make people in our state safer from the tragedies of fire.

To receive an alarm or have your current alarms checked, call North Charleston Fire Department Headquarters at (843) 740-2616. Firefighters will contact you and schedule a time to inspect your current alarms and/or install new ones in your city residence.

“I credit the dedication of our fire crews who install these alarms at every opportunity to make our city safer,” said Bulanow.

Halloween Fire Safety Tips

Halloween is approaching fast. Here are some fire safety tips from the National Fire Protection Association presented by the North Charleston Fire Department:

First, begin thinking safety.  When choosing a costume, stay away from billowing or long, trailing fabric. If your child is wearing a mask, make sure the eye holes are large enough so they can see out.

Provide children with flashlights to carry for lighting or glow sticks as part of their costume.

Dried flowers, cornstalks and crepe paper are highly flammable. Keep these and other decorations well away from all open flames and heat sources, including light bulbs, and heaters.

It is safest to use a flashlight or battery-operated candle in a jack-o-lantern. If you use a real candle, use extreme caution. Make sure children are watched at all times when candles are lit. When lighting candles inside jack-o-lanterns, use long, fireplace-style matches or a utility lighter. Be sure to place lit pumpkins well away from anything that can burn and far enough out of way of trick-or-treaters, doorsteps, walkways and yards.

Keep exits clear of decorations, so nothing blocks escape routes.

Tell children to stay away from open flames.  Be sure they know how to stop, drop and roll if their clothing catches fire. (Have them practice, stopping immediately, dropping to the ground, covering their face with hands, and rolling over and over to put the flames out.)

Use flashlights as alternatives to candles or torch lights when decorating walkways and yards.  They are much safer for trick-or-treaters, whose costumes may brush against the lighting.

If your children are going to Halloween parties at others’ homes, have them look for ways out of the home and plan how they would get out in an emergency.

Happy trick-or-treating! 

North Charleston Fire Chief presents Citizen Award for life saving actions

North Charleston Fire Chief Gregory A. Bulanow presented both Tianna Olivera and Michelle Becknell the Chief’s Citizen Award at the City Council meeting on Thursday, September 9, 2010 for their quick response to an emergency situation that saved the life of a child.

The Chief’s Citizen Award is reserved for the Fire Chief to recognize a citizen for an outstanding action or achievement that results in a positive and/or dramatic change in the fire department and/or community.

On August 1, 2010, Battalion Chief J.T. Whetsell and Engine 211 responded to the swimming pool on Oak Forest Blvd. for a reported drowning.  The call for assistance came into dispatch at 1:35 pm stating that a three-year-old male had drowned at the Oak Forest Village swimming pool and that CPR was in progress.

Battalion Chief Whetsell and Engine 211 arrived on the scene at 1:41pm and discovered the mother holding the three-year-old boy in her arms.  Battalion Chief Whetsell and the crew of Engine 211 approached the mother and discovered the boy was conscious and alert.  The crew from Engine 211 started assessing the boy as Dorchester County EMS arrived on the scene.

Upon speaking with bystanders at the scene it was discovered that the boy went into the pool without wearing his life vest and was playing in the shallow area with his nine-year-old sister and several other children.  The children in the pool moved away from the area where they were playing and the sister came out of the water holding her unconscious brother.  When the boy was removed from the pool it was discovered that he was not breathing and did not have a pulse.  A bystander stepped in and began performing CPR on the boy and after a minute he regained consciousness and was able to breathe on his own.

The boy was admitted to the Medical University of South Carolina and was discharged after a few days.  He has fully recovered from the ordeal without any complications.  If it were not for the quick actions of the boy’s sister, Tianna Olivera, and the immediate delivery of CPR by a bystander, Ms. Michelle Becknell, this incident could have had a much different outcome.

Message from Fire Chief Gregory Bulanow

Fire Chief Gregory Bulanow

Thank you for your interest in the North Charleston Fire Department.  Our department includes a diverse group of over 225 men and women working collectively to accomplish our mission to protect the quality of life in the City of North Charleston from all predictable hazards through prevention and emergency response.  The mission extends far beyond responding to fires or other emergencies and includes contributing to the quality of life in our City.  For those who assume that our firefighters are lounging at their stations waiting for an emergency call, our mission statement may seem confusing.  What does it mean for a fire department to protect quality of life, and what would that look like?

To see for yourself, you do not need to schedule a visit or tour a station.  In fact, you may not even find us there.  Instead, simply look for us as you participate in the things that are important to you and your family.  Each weekend our crews participate in school festivals, church picnics, neighborhood block parties, corporate family days, charitable fundraisers, and a variety of other events, providing fire safety information and prevention displays.

We offer medical first responders at sports tournaments, competitive run/walks, and neighborhood service days.  You may see us on the water providing assistance to boaters in distress during events, such as the recent Blue Angel’s air show.  You may see us on bike patrol during large events at North Charleston’s beautiful Riverfront Park, or at a child’s birthday party at North Charleston’s fantastic Fire Museum.  Late at night, you may see members of our Fire Marshal’s Bureau at nightclubs and restaurants to ensure the safety of those enjoying the City’s night life.

During the week, our firefighters are active in our schools, teaching fire prevention, as well as serving as positive role models in reading and mentoring programs.  You may see us at your place of employment, providing inspections to ensure compliance with fire codes to ensure your workplace is safe, or “pre-planning” a building for accurate information in the event of an emergency.  Our certified technicians help parents of small children learn to properly install safety seats in their vehicles.

Throughout the year, our crews join with the other City departments for the Neighborhood Enhancement Team (NET), working to improve the quality of life in targeted neighborhoods.  Our crews go door-to-door installing free smoke alarms as part of our award winning program that has provided thousands of these life saving devices to North Charleston residents.

Any one of these sights is a glimpse of us meeting the demands of our mission.  Our crews are engaged directly with our residents and businesses, working to prevent emergencies or in position to give immediate assistance in ways that fit specifically with the needs of our City.  Our crews also keeping a rigorous training schedule and maintain a constant state of readiness to respond en force to any emergency incident.  These initiatives and activities help us remain proactive and vigilant in providing fire protection.

We work hard to ensure that you will not need us in our traditional role of emergency responders, but if you do, be assured that you will experience the same high quality response that the North Charleston Fire Department has provided since our beginnings in 1937.  While our mission has expanded to meet the demands of the 21st century, it remains consistent with the oldest and finest traditions of the fire service.

Hop over to the City's website for more information on the North Charleston Fire Department

Fire Museum receives generous donation from Case Family

On behalf of the Case Family and the Raymond Case Scholarship Fund, Ms. Linda Case presented a donation in the amount of $8,555.19 to the North Charleston and American LaFrance Fire Museum and Educational Center. The gift will be used for the establishment of a ‘Make Your Own Patch’ exhibit to promote fire safety.

New and innovative exhibits and features are vital in sustaining the popularity and educational value of any museum. From a 32’ touch screen, the ‘Make Your Own Patch’ exhibit will allow museum visitors to build a patch based on eight to ten templates. After template selection, customization will include background and border colors, two editable text regions, and insertion of iconic firefighting images. Each patch prints onto a sticker with a fire safety message. When the exhibit is idle it will continue as a passive display showcasing fire safety messages and images. The exhibit should be fully operational by summer’s end.

This gift is one of many donated to the Fire Museum from the Case Family. Others include an antique fire hose nozzle and a charcoal rendering displayed in the Fire Museum lobby to honor a notable moment of Mr. Case’s fire service career. The caption accompanying the rendering describes his heroic actions at River Downs Race Track on the outskirts of Cincinnati on June 11, 1973. It was there that Mr. Case rescued a German Sheppard from certain death and was instrumental in the safety of an estimated 200 horses. For his actions, he received recognition from the Cincinnati Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

Before moving to the Greater Charleston Area, Raymond Case retired from the Cincinnati Fire Department with thirteen years of service. He received numerous accolades during his tenure, including national recognitions.

The City of North Charleston and the Fire Museum are grateful for the overwhelming generosity of the Case Family.