Station Nightclub Fire
Fatalities: 100
Caused by illegal pyrotechnics and fueled by unrated acoustic foam, this deadly fire claimed both the building and its death toll in 6 minutes - before engine crews could arrive. When they did arrive, suppression staff could do little more than watch the building burn, as their access was entirely blocked.
Ghost Ship Fire
Fatalities: 36
An illegal artist collective in a abandoned warehouse, which many individuals working for the City of Oakland and Oakland Fire Department were aware of. This fire started on the first floor, climbed a wood pallet staircase to a dance floor, and claimed the dancer's lives likely before first responders showed up seven minutes later.
Hartford Circus Fire
Fatalities: 167
Soaked in paraffin wax and gasoline, there was little stopping it once the big top started burning. The entire structure collapsed within ten minutes of the original flame being detected. Suppression efforts managed to save a few who survived the collapse, but could do little else.
The Prevention Problem
And Our Challenge
Every problem is a challenge in disguise. Every challenge is an opportunity to grow stronger, better, wiser. Our training programs are designed to challenge your firefighters, fire prevention officers, or fire inspectors to become masters of their craft.​
Prevention has been a problem in the past. It takes too much time, too much money, and there are few measurable outcomes to justify the expense. We can discuss measuring success in fire prevention, but at the end of the day every fire department in the State of California has to have some kind of prevention program.
Cost Summary
01
The Minimum
Per state law, every Fire Marshal is required to ensure that all state mandated occupancies - such as schools, apartments, and hotels - are inspected annually. On top of that, SB1205 requires that you report your inspection records to your governing body. This is the bare minimum, and doesn't include other inspections such as hazardous uses and new construction.
02
Staffing
To meet these requirements, you're going to need at least one employee who knows how to enforce the requirements of the California Fire Code and referenced standards such as NFPA 13, 25, and 72. Untrained inspectors can perform subpar inspections, which can lead to injury, death, and liability for the department.
03
Training Officer
In order to do this right, your employee needs a training officer - which means someone who is already a subject matter expert, who has experience in training and coaching, and who can manage a training program. However, not many departments can afford such an individual, and not many prevention training officers exist.
04
Beyond the Minimum
Ideally, your department will want to go beyond the minimum. For example, what about the landfills that keep catching fire? The big box stores that burn down? And all that new construction? A significant technical demand is placed on prevention personnel - they deserve to be trained well, and your department deserves to have the job done right.