Community Outreach

Winchester Fire and Rescue is partnered with The American Red Cross to install free smoke alarms and provide a free smoke alarm check to our citizens.

Important Notice: Winchester Fire and Rescue personnel cannot assist in changing, removing, or installing hard-wired smoke alarms.

Winchester Fire and Rescue will provide fire station tours to the public upon request. You will be able to see how our firefighters spend a 24-hour shift on the job.

Did you know that 85% of child restraints are improperly installed in vehicles? Children are extremely important to the Winchester Fire and Rescue Department (WFRD). WFRD has permanent seat checking stations with nationally certified technicians through Safe Kids Worldwide. These technicians are trained to teach parents and caregivers the safest way to transport children. Contact the office to schedule with out certified technicians.

Winchester Fire and Rescue Department provides a hands-on approach fire extinguisher training for all ages. We will provide fire safety training in the classroom setting followed by instruction and use of fire extinguishers. Students will get a chance to learn when to and how to operate fire extinguishers.

Winchester Fire and Rescue Department encourages all students, staff and parents to add fire safety to the curriculum.  Each year, the nation experiences 4,100 fires in dormitories, fraternities, sororities, and other related properties.  Resulting an annual average of 35 injuries, and $14 million in property damages.  Each year, the Fire Marshal’s Office conduct fire inspections to all residence halls, at the start of school and around spring break. The Fire Marshal’s office also conducts fire safety training with all Resident Assistant’s before move in day. 

The Winchester Fire and Rescue Department implemented the Youth Firesetting Prevention and Intervention program in 2008, to help address the problem of fire set by children.  Winchester's program was adopted by our Juvenile Court Services and has been used as a mandatory court diversion program.

The issue of juvenile firesetting has many variables, such as age, motivation for fire setting behavior, type of fires set, ignition materials used to set the fire, etc.  The behavior of firesetting children is a symptom of the problem.  The end results of child firesetting are costly to the child, their family, and the community in lives lost, injury, loss of resources, and property damage, regardless of age or motivation.

Educating children on fire safety and preventing future firesetting behavior is accomplished by identifying the motivation for fire play, assess the child, and determine the most appropriate intervention strategy.  The Youth Firesetting Prevention and Intervention Program involves the child, the parent(s)/guardian(s), and the Firesetter Intervention Specialist.  A child can enter the program by the following ways:

• Referral as a result of a fire department suppression or investigation effort
• Referral at the request of the parent
• Referral from the juvenile court system 

Elderly falls are attributed to a significant amount of both dispatches and transports to the Emergency Room when compared to other traumatic call types and a large percentage of these falls occur in the home. Winchester Fire and Rescue personnel can conduct a FREE home safety survey to identify potential risks and hazards for slips, trips and falls in the home environment as well as potential risks for a fire. Personnel can also provide free Steps to Safety presentations to organizations that offers educational information on how to prevent a fire and fall in homes of the elderly over 65 years old.

Winchester Fire and Rescue personnel can conduct a FREE home safety survey to identify potential risks and hazards for slips, trips and falls in the home environment as well as potential risks for a fire.

Any person who meets the following criteria is eligible for a home safety assessment:

• City of Winchester resident
• Age 65 or older OR concerned about their home situation
• Lives independently (not in a nursing home or assisted living facility)
• Known diagnosis of dementia or Alzheimer's

Home safety surveys include the following:

• Home hazard mitigation to reduce fall risks
• Home hazard mitigation to reduce fire risks
• Medication review and Vial of Life program kit
• Information about FREE safety equipment (canes, lockboxes, wheelchairs, smoke detectors) 

Click here(PDF, 703KB) for frequently asked questions about Knox Box devices.