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Fire & Rescue

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1. What is the “ISO”? What is the City of Port Orange’s ISO rating?

The ISO (Insurance Services Organization) is an advisory organization and the principal provider of rating and statistical information used by the insurance industry in the United States.  Quality of public fire protection is one of the items of statistical information the ISO provides to the insurance industry.  Under the PPC (Public Protection Class) program, the City of Port Orange has achieved a rating of 3 on a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being the most desirable rating.  Lower insurance rates are available as a City decreases its PPC rating.

2. Does Port Orange Fire & Rescue have a Volunteer Fire Department?

No, our department is a career department.

3. How can I set up a tour of the fire station?

The Port Orange Fire & Rescue Department welcomes visitors to tour our stations. For large groups or specific dates and times, we request that you contact the Department at least one week before the day you would like to visit.  We can normally accommodate all requests, however, due to training, maintenance, and inspection activities, we request that you call ahead.  Arrangements can also be made for our firefighters to visit daycares, schools, senior care centers, and other facilities.  Please use our online form or contact our Administrative Assistant at 386-506-5902 to make these arrangements. 

4. I am hosting a special event and I’d like a Firefighter to come speak to our group. Is anyone available for such an event?

Yes, our department is committed to ongoing public education and will be happy to send a representative to your function.  Please use our  online form or call the Administrative Assistant at 386-506-5902 at least a week prior to schedule your event.

5. How can I dispose of used paint, motor oil, and expired fire extinguishers?

Household hazardous waste can be disposed of at Tomoka Landfill just West of Daytona Beach. Residents are offered the opportunity to dispose of gasoline, paints, thinners/solvents, pool chemicals, fire extinguishers, and similar materials FREE!                                         

Hazardous waste is defined as liquid, solid, contained gas, or sludge wastes that contain properties that are dangerous or potentially harmful to human health or the environment. For more information on the proper disposal of hazardous waste click here.

6. Can I get my blood pressure checked at the fire station?

Yes, our firefighters will be happy to assist you. Please visit any of our stations between the hours of 8:00 am to 8:00 pm for this service.

7. Can I get assistance installing my smoke detector and changing the batteries in my smoke detector?

If you should need assistance with installation of a smoke detector or changing the batteries of a smoke detector, please call 386-506-5902.

8. How do I get a smoke detector or have mine checked?

From time to time various businesses and organizations will donate smoke detectors to our department for distribution to home owners who are senior citizens or who are financially unable to purchase them. Please fill out our online form at the link below and someone will contact you. 

https://www.port-orange.org/FormCenter/Fire-9/Port-Orange-Fire-Rescue-Smoke-Detector-F-115

9. How do I obtain a fire report?

Reports of fire incidents are available to the public by request. Please call Fire Department Administration at 386-506-5902 and request a report. Because the reports are computer generated, please notify the Fire Department in advance if you wish to obtain a copy. Please provide us with the date, time, and street address of the incident.

10. I’ve been calling, but no one is in the office.

If you have an emergency, hang up and dial 911.

Administrative office hours are from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm, Monday to Friday. During those hours, we make every effort to make sure that someone is available to answer the Administrative telephone lines.  However, there may be times when the telephones are extremely busy and there may be a delay in answering your call. 

11. My child has started several small fires recently. Is there anything I can do to deter him/her from doing this again?

Early attention to this problem is extremely important.  Our Fire Marshal also actively participates in the Youth Firesetting and Prevention Program.  Please contact the fire marshal at 386-506-5905 to obtain further information regarding this program.

12. Can fireworks be used in the City of Port Orange?

It is illegal to use fireworks in the City of Port Orange except on the designated holidays noted below: 

• New Year’s Eve (Dec. 31st)
• New Year’s Day (Jan 1st)
• Independence Day (July 4th)

For safety reasons, Port Orange Fire Rescue encourages our citizens to leave fireworks to the professionals. For fireworks safety tips, click here .

13. Which station covers my neighborhood?

View a map of the City's fire zones (PDF).

14. How do I dispose of expired medications?

Medicines and medical waste present unique challenges for solid waste disposal. Since many medicines are either still active or have active byproducts, flushing is generally not advised.

There are options such as drug take-back programs through some pharmacies and Tomoka Landfill. There is also a disposal receptacle located at the Port Orange Police Department at 4545 Clyde Morris Boulevard.

15. Where should the Knox Box be installed?

The Knox Box should be installed on the exterior of the building, near the annunciator panel and/or zone map at approximately five feet up from the floor. To order a knox box click here.

16. How do I prepare for a hurricane?

Many lessons have been learned from previous experience and we would like to reinforce some guidelines for preparedness planning with you for your family’s safety:

•  Secure lose items around your yard by bringing them indoors
•  Provide shutters for your windows
•  Stock up on water prior to the season for your family to avoid the rush at the last minute. Figure two to five gallons per day, per person depending on any special needs (three day supply minimum)
•  Stock up on non-perishable food and canned meats as well (three day supply minimum)
•  Stock up on batteries at the beginning of the season. Remember you will need batteries for flashlights and battery powered radios
•  If you do not have flashlights, purchase some
•  Battery powered camping lanterns are excellent light sources and much safer than candles
•  Contact out-of-state relatives and let them know your hurricane plan. This will provide a point of contact for family members to check on your status
•  If you have special needs such as medical devices, oxygen use, or medications, remember to have a plan for those needs as well
•  Have several protective tarps available to cover damage to your roof. You will need a ladder, wood strips, nails and a hammer. Cover this damage as soon as possible to prevent further damage to your home

Safety After the Storm

The storm may cause little to severe hazards outdoors. Follow these simple safety guidelines to ensure for your safety:

Stay off the roads immediately following the storm: It’s a common reaction following the storm to want to take a ride to look for damage that may have been caused; people are naturally curious. However, local government must quickly complete a city survey in an attempt to determine the needs of our residents. Because of this, fire and police vehicles will be traveling throughout the city and drive every road looking for hazards and doing a "windshield" damage assessment. This assessment is critical in determining resource needs and financial impact, which is important in the activation of FEMA assistance.

• Watch for downed electrical wires: Wires may or may not be energized. Do not touch chain link fences that have wires lying across them or touch metal sheds with wires laying on them.
• Remove your shutters: Remove your shutters as soon as possible. By doing so, you will brighten your home and let people know that the house is occupied. Shutters that remain up create hazards, especially if you have no power and find yourself in a fire. They prevent the fire department from having quick access to the home and prevent the ability to have quick ventilation to remove smoke in the event of a fire. They also prevent you from having multiple escape routes from different rooms to the outdoors in the event of a fire.
• Generators - if you run a generator follow these simple rules:
  • Run it outdoors
  • Do not fill it with gas while it’s hot
  • Use properly rated power cords for the power load you will run

17. Why does a fire truck come when you call for an ambulance?

Because firefighters can and do get there first, and time is critical in a medical emergency. Every Port Orange Fire fighter is cross-trained in Emergency Medical Services. What does that mean to you, a citizen phoning 911? Simply read on...

In the early days, fire stations were strategically located so the crews could quickly get to burning buildings. Obviously, time is an important aspect of firefighting, because flames can rapidly spread through a building. The ability to quickly respond to a fire provides more time to rescue people inside, and save property by suppressing the blaze in the early stages. It soon became apparent that the firefighter's ability to "get there fast" could be used for other types of emergency response, such as heart attacks, strokes and trauma.

Four minutes is a critical time frame for someone who has experienced a heart attack, injury, or other illness that makes them stop breathing. The heart and brain have a better chance of full recovery they receive oxygen in four minutes or less. After that, a person can suffer brain damage or worse. Our firefighters, many of them educated to the level of paramedic, can use life saving techniques including defibrillation and medications to help prevent death or permanent injury. These life saving techniques are much more effective if they can get to a patient within the first four minutes.

Each Port Orange Fire Station is part of a much larger, intricate dispatch system. The system is designed to provide adequate emergency coverage for the citizens who live here, by carefully managing response resources. Fire stations are not isolated or randomly located. They are strategically positioned to provide the best coverage with the least expenditure of resources.

18. Why does the Fire Department bring the fire engine just for a simple inspection?

Two reasons: First, these inspections are conducted by on-duty engine companies that must be ready to respond to an emergency call from the field. Second, an important part of the value of the public safety inspection is to familiarize your local firefighters with the buildings and businesses in Port Orange. While they check for hazards and consult with business owners on how best to eliminate or minimize the likelihood of a fire, they also familiarize themselves with access points and the layout of the facility. 

19. Why do you block traffic lanes at auto accidents, sometimes more lanes than necessary?

We block traffic lanes for the safety of our personnel and our patients. Blocking extra lanes keep our personnel safe when they go back to our apparatus to get more equipment and help protect the victim we are trying to stabilize. Many firefighters are killed or injured each year while working at incidents on streets and highways

20. Why am I not supposed to drive over a fire hose?

Firefighters are very concerned about running over fire hoses because the hose can be damaged and any firefighter at the end of a nozzle will have the water interrupted and possibly cause injuries or death. It is not only dangerous, it is illegal.

21. Why do I need to keep weeds and bushes away from fire hydrants on my property?

Weeds and bushes should be kept three feet from fire hydrants for visibility and accessibility.

22. What other responsibilities do firefighters have other than fighting fires?

Although the number of residential and commercial fires has decreased over the years due to a variety of factors including improvements in construction, a greater public awareness of the risk factors leading to fires and a significant reduction in smoking nationwide, fires are only some of the emergencies to which the Fire Department responds. Nearly eighty percent of the Fire Department's emergency responses are, in fact, calls for medical aid, including illness/accidents at home and work, and injuries resulting from vehicle crashes. Other calls for emergency response involve hazardous materials releases, technical rescues, response to fire alarms and other calls for public assistance. Firefighters also spend much of their time maintaining equipment, doing routine public safety inspections for businesses, training for all types of emergency responses and filling out the reports and paperwork associated with these activities.

23. What should I do when I see or hear an emergency vehicle approaching when I'm driving?

When you notice an approaching emergency vehicle, IMMEDIATELY pull to the right and stop. If you are approaching an intersection and see an emergency vehicle that is approaching the intersection from behind you or another direction, come to a stop preferably one or two car lengths back from the intersection.

24. My smoke detector is chirping, what does that mean?

Most modern smoke detectors will chirp to alert you the batteries are low, you should replace the batteries and test your smoke detector. Smoke detectors can be purchased at any hardware or large commercial department store.

25. How often should I change the batteries in my smoke detectors?

We recommend you change the batteries in your smoke detectors every 6 months, an easy way to remember is to change batteries when you reset your clock for daylight savings time.

26. Can I burn leaves in my yard?

No, city ordinance prohibits outside burning leaves within the city limits. 

27. Why do firefighters shop at the local grocery stores?

Firefighters work a 24-hour shift and must supply and pay for their own food. Often, you will see them at a grocery store in a fire engine. The only way the Port Orange Fire Department can ensure that our firefighters will respond and arrive in an average of less than 4 minutes is by using the vehicle they respond in -- with all our firefighters present and available. Sometimes they receive a call while shopping for food, which means they leave directly from the grocery store and have to come back later to finish their grocery shopping.

28. How do I obtain a copy of an EMS report?

EMS run records are only available to the patient or authorized individuals. EMS reports are private and confidential medical information. A patient may request a report in person by producing a valid form of identification.

29. Sometimes I see emergency vehicles go through a red light at intersections and then, after they go through, they turn off their lights and siren and slow down. Why is this?

Most likely, when you see an emergency vehicle go lights and siren through an intersection and then slow down and turn the emergency lights off, they have been cancelled from the call they were going on.

30. Does the Fire Department install car seats?

No, the Fire Department does not have personnel certified to assist in car seat installation.

31. Why do I see fire trucks from neighboring communities in Port Orange on calls?

The Port Orange Fire Department has automatic aid agreements with all of the departments in Volusia County. This agreement provides for the closest fire engines to respond in the event of an emergency and when additional resources are needed.

32. How do I select a fire extinguisher?

There are four basic types of fires. Portable extinguishers are labeled so that the most appropriate extinguisher is chosen for use on a specific type of fire. Portable extinguishers are labeled using standard symbols for the classes of fires. A slash through any symbol means: “that certain extinguisher should not be used on that certain type of fire.” A mission symbol means: “that certain extinguisher has not been formally tested for a given class of fire”.

Multi-purpose extinguishers i.e. ABC, may be used successfully on all three types of fires:

• CLASS A: Ordinary combustibles such as wood, cloth, and paper
• CLASS B: Flammable liquids such as gasoline, oil, and oil-based paint
• CLASS C: Energized electrical equipment – including wiring, fuse boxes, circuit breakers, machinery, and appliances
• CLASS D: Flammable metals
• Class K: It is used on synthetic cooking oils, and gets its identity as “K” from “KITCHEN”.

Always use the most appropriate extinguisher so that you don’t cause the fire to escalate (become worse) or endanger yourself or others.

33. Does the fire department service fire extinguishers?

No, the fire department does not service fire extinguishers. There are private fire protection companies that offer those services. They can be found in the phone book or internet search. 

34. Where can I purchase a fire extinguisher?

Portable fire extinguishers can be purchased at a wide variety of retail stores. Home improvement centers and hardware stores generally carry an adequate selection to choose from.