Public Education

It is well known to Fire Service Professionals, that Fire Prevention and Fire Safety Education play extremely important roles in a safe community. Fire Prevention should receive as much attention as Fire Suppression. The Waterville Fire Department believes and practices this way of thinking. Our efforts have been placed not only to make the public aware of fire problems but also to educate them, to teach them the appropriate actions to take in case a fire occurs and to prevent fires from starting. Firesafety education has been integrated in to our everyday assignments and is intensified during Fire Prevention Week each year, throughout our community.

Firesafety educators use their skills to effectively educate school aged children of the dangers of fire and how to respond when confronted with this situation. We have received the assistance of the schools, with the cooperation and participation from the teachers. Programs like, Smokey the Bear, Sparky the Fire Dog and Jr. Fire Fighter Jimmy, a hand puppet used in a mock fire truck theater, help deliver our Fire Safety message. We also use a mobile trailer, built to simulate a home. In it, we teach people to look for hazards and how to exit when they are confronted with smoke.

Educators also target Senior Citizens groups and Civic Organizations. Local businesses upon request, can receive instruction on the use of portable fire extinguishers, safety in the work place and the development of Emergency Evacuation plans.

We would like to encourage anyone who may have a question or interested in more details about our programs, to contact us. We are very assessable for persons in our community as well as persons choosing to visit us at our station.

Through the commitment to Fire Prevention and Fire Safety Education, the Waterville Fire Department can meet our mission and also make the City of Waterville a better and safer place to live.

Keep watching for our schedule of special events for Fire Prevention.