Fire safety comes first
When a local newspaper published an article about four children dying in their Tampa, Fla., home during a 1997 fire, the Casselberry (Fla.) Fire Department (CFD) was horrified by the disaster. Because the home had burglar bars on the windows, the children had not been able to escape, nor could neighbors rescue them from outside. By the time firefighters arrived, it was too late. CFD firefighters decided to make some changes to prevent a similar tragedy in their community.
Burglar bars serve as an effective security device, but they can pose a threat to personal safety in an emergency. While many homes employ electronic security systems, CFD’s research of the city revealed that nearly 200 Casselberry homes had burglar bars on their windows.
CFD contacted local businesses that manufactured and installed the bars, inquiring about the possibility of modifying bars for emergency exit and entry. Two companies offered to assist the department with retrofitting the bars so they could be opened or removed from inside the home. The work could be done for about $150 per window.
In 1997, CFD met with the fire chief, city manager and city commissioners to discuss the possibility of an area-wide retrofit project. All parties supported the program, which involved informing residents about the problems with burglar bars and asking them to retrofit their windows. Residents also were informed of the city ordinance and life safety code requiring two separate means of escape from each sleeping area in the home.
Project organizers were concerned that some families might not be able to afford the cost of removing or modifying the burglar bars. Because CFD wanted to ensure that all the affected residents could change their burglar bars, it arranged for financial assistance through a local charity.
On weekends, the city fire inspector and the fire marshal hand-delivered letters and spoke with residents who had burglar bars. Where possible, the two officials toured homes to conduct fire safety inspections.
Some residents did not comply with CFD’s requests, so the department produced a second notification letter warning residents of the dangers of the bars and restating the terms of the city ordinance. Residents who did not comply with the city ordinance would be required to appear before the City Code Enforcement Board. Before any residents were called to appear before the board, however, a near-tragic fire in south Orlando drove the safety point home. A family was trapped inside their burning house by burglar bars; fortunately, neighbors who came to the rescue pried the bars off from outside. Three local television stations reported on the fire and CFD’s safety program, and CFD sent copies of the televised story to the homes that had not retrofitted their bars.
By May 1999, all Casselberry homes had achieved compliance with the city ordinance. CFD then sent letters to realtors, burglar bar manufacturers and installers to raise awareness about the dangers of the bars.
Printing and mailing the letters constituted the only costs for the program. CFD completed the project without using public funds and with the help of Wayne Denche Charities, a local organization that assisted families that could not afford to retrofit their homes.