MISSION.
The Burlington Fire Department works to minimize the loss of life and property from fire, while maximizing prevention efforts and education. The department works to be swift and efficient in emergency responses and medical services. The men fight for their community and the citizens of Burlington.
Burlington Fire Department members are thus guided by the following principles:
- People are our most valuable resource. We practice and promote teamwork.
- We continuously seek staff involvement and strive to create a positive and progressive environment.
- All activities are conducted with a high importance on safety.
- We are fully accountable to those that we serve.
- Pride, dedication, the pursuit of excellence, and commitment to public service are all of paramount importance.
- Compassion, fairness, and integrity are practiced in all of our endeavors.
- Through active leadership, we shall promote the use of quality principles, concepts and technologies.
- Our value to the community is measured in the type and quality of the services that we provide.
- Taking great pride in providing service is not a concept - it is a reality.
HISTORY.
In the early days of fire safety, volunteers were used as a bucket brigade and hose reel unit. Though it was effective it was only able to be used within the vicinity of the three hydrants. Seeing that adding hydrants would be more effective, they strategically placed more hydrants throughout the town. Communication to notify volunteers developed as well. At first, someone would yell or shot a gun to alert the people, but they improved methods to the steam whistle and a large bell. In 1905 the fire department further developed when they began using horses for transportation. Horses made it easier and quicker to transport equipment and men to fires.
TRAINING.
The Burlington fire department strives to have all their people to be well- prepared by under going regular training. The training aims to keep the firefighters up to date and well acquainted with skills to save lives. Training is a rigorous yet necessary part of becoming a fire fighter. Rookies must have at least two hundred and forty hours of training before receiving the North Carolina Fire and Rescue Commission’s Fire Fighter I Certification. At the end of each training phase, the men and women are given a test to calculate their improvement. They learn things such as working the equipment, knowing the streets, and being ready for emergencies. In addition, firefighters learn emergency medical training techniques.
FIRE PREVENTION.
The fire department of Burlington has a fire prevention division, whose purpose is to help raise awareness on how to avoid fires. This department inspects buildings within the community and gives lectures to children to help educate them on fires. They have created child safety programs to help kids understand what needs to be done in an emergency.
CONTACT.
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Burlington Fire Department Fire Prevention Division 215 S. Church St. Burlington, NC 27215 P: (336) 229-3133 F: (336) 229-3547 E: Fire Prevention
Emergency Response Division
Deputy Chief Todd Bradley
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Elon Fire Department
The Department
The Elon Fire Department is made up of two fire-stations within the town of Elon,NC which is right next to the town of Burlington. With 12 paid firefighters and about 30 volunteer members, the Elon Fire Department is able to respond to a variety of calls and provide various services to Elon.
The Area
The Fire Department has a range of 11 square miles that it covers in Elon. The population is about 7,000 year round residents and it increases to about 15,000 people when Elon University is in session. With the university being the center of the Elon community, many of the calls the department receives are indeed campus related, however a large number of them are residential as well. The Fire Department covers Elon Elementary School and three retirement homes in the area.
Emergency response
Annually, Elon Fire Department responds to about 1,300 calls. The calls are separated into three categories; fire response, emergency medical response and public service.
Fire Response
The department responds to about 430 fire calls per year. These fires can include not only house fires but car fires, brush fires as well as commercial fires. To handle this large variety of calls, the department has 7 different vehicles that are designed to be able to handle this variety of calls. The department has 4 fire engines, as well as a ladder truck, two ambulances, a tanker, one brush truck and a command vehicle. Together these vehicles allow the department to respond to the many different calls they receive. But the vehicles in the department are not the only tools they use for fire response, a number of high tech tools further help firefighters to be more efficient when trying to extinguish a fire. Airpacks, thermal imaging cameras and ventilation saws are all used to help the firefighters extinguish a fire faster and more effectively.
Medical Response
Every year, Elon's Fire Department answers around 845 medical calls. These calls range from breathing difficulties to car accidents and the department is well equipped to be able to handle this variety. 4 AEDS (Automated External Defibrillators) help the department to be able to shock a patient with severe cardiac problems such as undergoing cardiac arrest or having a heart attack. By using the AEDs, the patient can be shocked and the heart can be reset back to a normal rhythm. In addition to these AEDs, the department has several tools that are used to cut a car from around a patient when a patient is trapped inside a car as a result of an accident. The "Jaws of Life", airbags and hydraulic rams allow the firefighters to literally cut a car around a patient so that the patient will nor undergo further damage and be rescued from inside the car.
Public Service
A large part of Elon Fire Department is the public service that they offer to the town. To help prevent fires and other disasters, the department offers smoke and carbon monoxide detector checks throughout the year. They also provide both fire safety and fire extinguisher classes to educate the public about fire prevention and safety. The department also responds to disasters in the area to set up shelters and evacuate those in need.
Fire Explorers
The Fire Explorer program is a program for children between the ages of 14 and 18, it is a developmental program affiliated with Boy Scouts that has the goal of giving kids an inside look into the fire department and what they do. Through this program young adults learn teamwork and motivation they'll need later on in life. They are driven academically since the program encourages a C average or above, This allows youths to stay focused on academics while learning important life skills through their participation in the program.
Once the Explorers join the program, they go through a 60-day period in which they learn how to use all of the equipment and gear that firefighters use everyday. After those 60 days the Explorers can begin to live a firefighter's life. They will ride along on the vehicles as well as sleep overnight at the station to get a sense of what it takes to be a firefighter through first-hand experience. Many Explorers have gone on to become professional firefighters for their careers.
Fire and Safety Education
The Elon Fire Department has posted on its website a long list of information for the public to read about various types of safety and prevention. Included on the webpage is information on Carbon Monoxide, Exit Drills, Fire extinguishers, and smoke detectors. Most importantly considering that Elon is a college town, they also have a large section about campus fire prevention safety and dorm fire safety. The link for this education page is;
http://www.elonnc.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=38&Itemid=61
Contact
Station 1
219 S. Williamson Avenue
P.O. Box 595
Elon, NC 27244
Phone: (336) 584-9190
Station 2
2110 Powerline Road
P.O. Box 595
Elon, NC 27244
Phone: (336)586-1002
Sources:
"Elon Fire Department." Town of Elon. N.p., 2014. Web. 10 Sept. 2014.
