Wilmington Fire Department Launches Life Saving Initiative For Multi-Residential High Rises And Apartments

Wilmington DE

01 May, 2022

4:22 PM

Description

Press release from the City of Wilmington: April 29, 2022 The Play Your Part campaign seeks to prevent recent New York and Philadelphia fire tragedies from happening here The Play Your Part campaign seeks to prevent recent New York and Philadelphia fire tragedies from happening here The The campaign seeks to prevent recent New York Wilmington Mayor Mike Purzycki and Fire Chief John Looney today announced a new fire department initiative to bring awareness to safety matters in City high rises and multi-unit apartment complexes. Following the tragic loss of life in multi-residential apartments in New York City and Philadelphia earlier this year, the Wilmington Fire Department began analyzing the causal factors of these incidents in order to prevent a similar tragedy from happening in Wilmington. Chief of Fire Looney tasked Deputy Chief of Fire Prevention Gabriel Pabon and the Fire Marshal's Office to create a fire prevention and fire inspection program that would reduce the possibility of these fire spreading events from occurring in Wilmington's multi-residential living facilities. After reviewing the incidents in the other cities, the fire department identified a single action that could have been taken by residents to reduce the amount of fatalities at both fires—keeping interior doors closed to reduce smoke and fire spread as well as give residents time to evacuate. Deputy Chief Pabon and the Fire Marshal's Office have labeled the new initiative Play Your Part to prevent fire tragedies. The Play Your Part initiative will focus on high risk, multi-residential units and will be an ongoing program that inspects properties to confirm that auto-door closure devices are functioning as designed, emergency exits are clear and accessible, that residents are educated on the importance of keeping doors closed to help contain smoke and fire, and that it's important to create an escape plan in the event of an emergency. The Fire Marshal's Office, along with fire suppression units began working directly last month with businesses and landlords that own and operate multi-residential properties in the City to ensure that critical fire suppression systems are operational, smoke detection devices function, and life safety issues have been addressed. To date, the Play Your Part initiative has inspected eight multi-residential properties, completed 561 auto-door closure checks, and found seventy-six doors that did not function as designed and are in the process of being repaired or replaced. The Mayor and Fire Chief also encourage residents to Play Your Part by checking the working condition of smoke detectors twice a year, keep doors in a residence closed when sleeping to contain smoke and fire, and create an emergency plan and practice that plan with all residential occupants. Additional Public Safety Information from the Wilmington Fire Department The WFD reminds residences and visitors that smoke detectors save lives and are critical to home safety. The Department offers FREE smoke detectors and installation to any property owner in the City. The Smoke Alarm Hotline is (302) 571-4361or visit www.wilmingtonde.gov/government/public-safety/wilmington-fire-department.Additionally, the fire department reminds residents about the importance of closing doors while you sleep or are gone from the residence. For more information on closing your door while you snooze, visit closeyourdoor.org. Play Your Part Additional Public Safety Information from the Wilmington Fire Department COMMUNITY AND MEDIA INQUIRIES: Captain Matthew Marsella Public Information Officer Wilmington Fire Department Cell: (302) 757-2849 Office: (302) 576-3152 Email: [email protected] Lieutenant Laurence Hinds Public Information Officer Wilmington Fire Department Cell: (302) 668-9987 Office: (302) 576-3152 Email: [email protected] John Rago Deputy Chief of Staff City of Wilmington, Office of the Mayor Mobile: (302) 420-7928 Email: [email protected] This press release was produced by the City of Wilmington. The views expressed here are the author's own.