HOLLY HILL FIRE DEPARTMENT

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1 HOLLY HILL FIRE DEPARTMENT Frequently Asked Questions Q. How many people work for the Fire Department? A. Holly Hill Fire Department has 14 full time and 1 part time employees. We have three shifts of four personnel each shift. One part time Fire Inspector, one Administrative Assistant, and a Fire Chief. Q. Do we have volunteer firefighters? A. The Fire Department no longer has volunteer members. All of the members are either full time or part time employees of The City of Holly Hill. Q. Does the Fire Department offer CPR and/or First-Aid Classes to the public? A. The fire department offers CPR classes occasionally throughout the year. We do not offer first aid classes. Contact us at for more information. Q. Can I get my blood pressure taken at the firehouse? A. There are medical personnel on duty at the fire station that are glad to help you with a blood pressure check or any other EMS issue that you might have. Q. How can I dispose of old or unused medications? Old, unused, unwanted medications can be dropped off at the Holly Hill Police Department during normal business hour (Monday thru Friday from 8AM to 5PM). For specific questions please call Captain Aldrich at Q. Why do your fire trucks use lights and sirens, even in the middle of the night when there is no traffic? A. The purpose of emergency warning equipment is to let drivers and pedestrians know that an emergency vehicle is on the way to an emergency. By state law, we do have certain privileges extended to us. Some of those privileges being; to proceed through controlled intersections without stopping or to travel against the designated flow of traffic. All of these privileges have rules that the state legislation and our department policies put on the drivers of these emergency vehicles. The main rule of safety is that all traffic is aware of us responding even in the middle of the night.

2 Q. Why do I see fire trucks from neighboring agencies in Holly Hill on calls? A. The Holly Hill Fire Department has automatic/mutual aid agreements with all of the fire departments in Volusia County. Volusia County Emergency Medical Ordinance also requires the closest fire engines, trucks and ambulances to respond in the event of a medical emergency. The National Fire Protection Association recommends that for every structure fire that there be a minimum of 15 firefighters on scene within 8 minutes. Holly Hill is a small department with one fire engine. To put 15 firefighters on a scene we have to have other agencies assist. We also go to assist other agencies when requested. Q. I saw a Holly Hill fire truck at a local grocery store and some of the firefighters were inside shopping for food or I saw the trucks sitting outside a local restaurant. Why do firefighters use fire trucks for non-emergency purposes while they are on duty? A. To ensure the most effective service at the time of an emergency, our crews must remain in their designated response district with their fire trucks during their entire shift. Our crews work 24-hour shifts with no scheduled breaks, and meals are not provided by the city. Personnel on each shift must purchase their own food and prepare their own meals, so they usually make one daily trip to the grocery store to buy whatever they need to prepare their meals for the entire shift. Fire crews do not have to be sitting in the fire station to be dispatched to a call. Since all personnel maintain constant radio contact with Fire Communications and the entire crew must always be together with their truck, they are always ready to respond to any emergency, regardless of their current location or non-emergency assignment. Occasionally, the fire crews will opt to patronize a local restaurant in Holly Hill when their duties exceed any food preparation time. Once again, they remain on-duty and ready to respond in the event of an alarm. Q. Why does a fire engine come when I only requested an ambulance? A. Volusia County currently utilizes a two tier system of providing Emergency Medical Services and transport to the area hospitals. The fire departments respond within their jurisdictions or as a closest unit. The Volusia County transport service, EVAC transports patients to the hospital. The Fire Department has equally trained EMS providers as EVAC.

3 Q. Why do you send so many fire vehicles to a fire, especially a small fire? A. Safety is the number one issue in a fire. Fires are also time sensitive, meaning that if there is a victim, we have a short time period to get them out. Also there are a number of specialized roles that firefighters undertake on a fire call, and it is necessary to have enough firefighters on the scene of an incident. Firefighting is a very labor intensive activity. If you get behind because there are not enough firefighters on the call, it is more difficult to rescue a victim and extinguish a fire quickly. Also, adverse weather conditions can certainly play a role as well. Q. Can I burn leaves or brush in my yard? A. No. The City of Holly Hill has an ordinance against burning leaves and brush. Small fires for cooking purposes are allowed under certain circumstances. Our open burning ordinance is available on the Holly Hill Fire Department website. Q. How can I get a smoke detector from the Fire Department? Will you change the batteries? A. The Holly Hill Fire Department has limited number of smoke alarms for distribution to residents. This was established and is maintained through donations. If you have a question or concern regarding installation of your own smoke alarm, please contact the fire department at We will make every effort to assist you. Q. Where should I place my smoke detectors? A. Smoke alarms should be installed on every level of your home, in every sleeping room, and outside of every sleeping room at a minimum. Q. What is Carbon Monoxide and how does it harm you? A. Carbon monoxide, CO, is a tasteless, odorless, colorless, poisonous gas. It is a by-product of incomplete combustion. When a person inhales high levels of carbon monoxide for a long period of time, it displaces the oxygen in the blood causing the heart, brain, and other vital organs to be deprived of oxygen. Extended exposure to strong concentrations of carbon monoxide is life threatening. Loss of consciousness and suffocation may result without warning! Make sure your home has a detector! Q. How do I select a fire extinguisher? A. There are several basic types of fire extinguishers. Each has a classification that tells what type it is. The Fire Inspector ( ), Fire Captain ( ), or myself ( ) can explain the classification and whether it meets the

4 requirement of the codes of The City of Holly Hill. Please call us or come by before purchasing a fire extinguisher that may or may not be correct for your needs. Q. Does the fire department service fire extinguishers? A. No, the fire department does not service fire extinguishers. There are private fire safety companies that offer those services. They can be found in the phone book. Q. Where can I purchase a fire extinguisher? A. Portable fire extinguishers can be purchased at a wide variety of retail stores. Home improvement centers, hardware stores, and fire safety equipment stores carry an adequate selection to choose from. Q. Can I call the Fire Department to dispose of household hazardous materials? A. No. The appropriate way to dispose of household hazardous materials is through the Volusia County Landfill at Q. Will the fire department come to my home and fill my swimming pool? A. No, the fire department is not permitted to fill swimming pools. However PRIOR to filling your pool with city water you can do the following. 1) Contact Holly Hill Utility Billing at or go to Holly Hill City Hall. Tell them you want to fill your swimming pool. 2) They will give you a form to record your water meter readings immediately before and after filling the pool. 3) Immediately after filling the pool, return the form to the Utility Billing Department. This will allow you to be billed for the water but NOT the sewer and other charges associated with your water bill. Q. How do I arrange a tour of a fire station? A. Any group can schedule a tour of the fire station. Please call to schedule a tour. If any individual would like a tour, we encourage you to stop by. Please keep in mind that with all tours, the personnel are on-duty and in the event of an alarm they will need to respond.

5 Q. Do fire stations host birthday parties? A. Unfortunately, we do not have the proper facilities to have birthday parties. While we are not able to accommodate birthday parties at the fire stations, we welcome groups to schedule a fire station tour. (See station tour information.) Q. How can I get a copy of a fire incident or medical incident report? A. You can arrange to receive an incident report by calling the Holly Hill Fire Department Office at Reports for medical incidents require the authorization of the individual patient or guardian and proof of relationship. Q. Where can I go to have my child safety seat inspected or installed? A. The Holly Hill Fire Department does not have a child safety seat installation and inspection program. Q. Why does a fire engine come to do a fire inspection? A. Two reasons: First, some inspections are conducted by on-duty personnel that must be ready to respond to an emergency call from the field. Second, preemergency planning is an important part of the fire departments incident preparedness. This may look like a fire inspection but it is not. Both are designed to familiarize your local firefighters with the buildings and business in Holly Hill. 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. Q. Why do you block traffic lanes at car accidents, sometimes more lanes than necessary? A. 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. Over 25 firefighters are killed or injured each year while working at incidents on streets and highways. Q. Why am I not supposed to run over a fire hose? A. 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. Any hose that is driven over without protection has to be taken out of service and tested. Also the fire department is tax supported, so if a fire hose is run over and damaged where it has to be replaced it costs the taxpayer money!

6 Q. How can I ask a question of the fire department? A. If you have a question in regards to your fire or emergency medical safety, smoke detectors, open burning or anything else that we may be able to assist you with, I encourage you to call me at or me at rspencer@hollyhillfl.org