Public Education
The Bureau continues to provide the foundation as well as the coordination for the departments Public Education program. Effective public education needs to cover a variety of disciplines for a variety of age groups. However, most of our endeavors focus on grammar and middle school aged children. During a successful 2008, we were able to educate over 2200 students on various fire safety tips and techniques. Our philosophy is that early, repetitious training of these children is the most advantageous way to solidify a lifelong attitude of practicing fire safety methods and techniques. To accomplish this training we utilize several props including a robotic, remote controlled, talking fire dog, the Bergen County Fire Academy’s Smoke House, and most importantly educational coloring books and handouts printed in both English and Spanish. These child friendly props increase our capability to reinforce the importance of practicing fire safety in the home on a daily basis. Other services we provide in this area include our “Visit The Neighborhood” program during which our personnel bring the message of Fire Prevention directly to the doorsteps of our residents, fire safety education programs for Senior citizen groups, our Summer Youth Camp program, and upon request, Fire Brigade training for commercial and industrial occupancies within the city.