Winchester Fire and Rescue Department's public education offers a variety of community education opportunities designed to help our citizens stay safe. Please call the Fire and Rescue Department administrative office at 540-662-2298 or complete the below web form at least two weeks in advance for more information and to schedule a community outreach event.
Smoke Alarm Program
Winchester Fire and Rescue provides a smoke alarm check program to our citizens. If you need a smoke alarm tested, installed or replaced, please call the Administrative office at 540-662-2298 or complete the below Community Outreach Request Form. If your residence doesn’t have a working smoke alarm, the Fire Department will provide one free alarm.
Important Notice: Winchester Fire and Rescue personnel cannot assist in changing, removing, or installing hard-wired smoke alarms.
Smoke Alarm Information
Property owners and Landlords are responsible for supplying and installing smoke alarms for their houses and tenants, respectively. Smoke alarms reduce property loss, injuries, and death. Monthly testing is recommended to ensure proper function.
Winchester Fire and Rescue Department encourages you to test your smoke alarm monthly and to change the batteries twice a year. When you change your clock, change your batteries.
The National Fire Protection Association recommends a smoke alarm be placed on every level of the home, and make sure there is an alarm outside of every separate sleeping area.
Funding to support our smoke alarm program is provided by the Winchester Fire and Rescue Foundation.
More information on smoke alarms and all fire safety can be found at the United States Fire Administration website.
Fire Station Tours
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. Come see where we live every third day serving the City of Winchester.
Fire Prevention Month
Every October is Fire Prevention Month and the Winchester Fire and Rescue Department provides fire prevention education to local schools and childcare programs during the month. Students will learn basic fire safety including escape routes, household dangers, and using 911. Winchester Fire and Rescue teams up with the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) to spread the word about fire safety through the annual campaign message.
Child Safety Seat Installation
Did you know that 85% of child restraints are improperly installed in vehicles? Children are extremely important to the Winchester Fire and Rescue Department. One of the best ways to assure their safety is to protect children while traveling.
Winchester Fire and Rescue wants to make sure your child is riding safely in a vehicle. The Fire and Rescue Headquarters and individual fire stations are 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.
Call 540-662-2298 to set up a time to have your seat inspected by a trained technician.
Fire Extinguisher Training
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.
Please call the Life Safety Division at 540-662-2298 for more information or complete our Community Outreach Request Form below.
Campus Fire Safety
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.
Campus Living Fire Safety Tips
- Make sure there is a working smoke alarm in your room or apartment
- Do not block emergency exits
- Know you exit plan; count the number of doors between your room and the exit
- No extension cords. Multi-plugs must be surge protected
- No open flame devices to include candles
- If provided with cooking appliance, practice safe cooking, do not leave the stove unattended and keep combustibles clear of the stove.
- Smoking is prohibited in all residence halls; please make sure all smoking materials are completely extinguished before discarding.
- Make sure everything is turned off before you leave your room or go to sleep.
- Contact your resident assistant or the university public safety department to make sure you know your evacuation plan.
Additional information can be found on the United States Fire Administration’s website or by calling the Fire Marshal’s Office at 540-662-2298.
Juvenile Firesetter Program
The Winchester Fire and Rescue Department implemented the Juvenile Firesetter 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.
About Juvenile Firesetters
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.
About the Program
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 program is provided as a free service by the Life Safety Division.
The Juvenile Firesetter 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
The Program consists of the following:
- Intake of the child, obtain case/incident history
- Interview the child and parents; identify the motivation and determine the child’s risk factor
- If low risk, the educational part of the program begins. (Typically 1 day a week for 4-6 weeks).
- If high risk, child is moved to meet with a behavioral health professional before starting our program
- At the completion of the program, the child will present their final research project to the Fire Chief and discuss their educational experience
Please call the Life Safety Division at 540-662-2298 for additional information or complete the Community Outreach Request Form below.
Remembering When and Elder Care
Elderly falls attribute 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.
Click here for more information and safety tips.
Community Outreach Request Form
Thank you for completing the Winchester Fire and Rescue's Community Outreach Request Form. Someone will be in touch soon or please feel free to contact us anytime at 540-662-2298.
