Community Engagement & Risk Reduction
Our department’s motto is “Taking Care of Those Who Depend on Us.” But what does that really mean?
To us, it means much more than simply putting out fires and responding to emergency calls. Taking care of our community isn’t just reactive. It’s also proactive. It includes taking on a leadership role and identifying, educating, and investing strategically in order to help make our community safer.
Community Risk Reduction
Community Risk Reduction (often referred to as “CRR”) is defined as a process to identify and prioritize local risks, followed by the strategic investment of resources to reduce their occurrence and impact. When properly applied, CRR coordinates emergency operations with prevention and mitigation efforts throughout both the community and at the fire station level.
The fire service has a longstanding tradition of being the first people that our residents call when they have an emergency. The idea of Community Risk Reduction is to go beyond that call and attempt to keep the emergency from happening in the first place, or at least to minimize negative outcomes when emergencies do happen. This in turn creates a much safer community for all residents and visitors.
The Comstock Fire Department has embraced this idea of prevention for many years. Some of the ways we do this include:
Fire Prevention Education in Schools
Our fire marshal has been very active in the schools and community with education on prevention of fires. For almost two decades, we have been presenting the Safe at Home program in the Comstock Elementary Schools each year. This program was developed by the office of the State Fire Marshal in conjunction with the Michigan Public Fire Safety Education Committee. Students receive 30-minute educational sessions once per month.
The department has even responded to incidents where young children alerted other residents to a fire in the home and helped them exit the building safely. This is one example where the outcome could have been completely different if it was not for the education given during one of the fire prevention activities offered by the fire marshal.
Fire Safety Inspections
The Comstock Township Department of Fire & Rescue performs approximately 500 fire safety inspections per year. The main goal of a fire safety inspection is to promote and encourage a safe community. A secondary goal is to improve relationships between the fire department and the business community through professional, kind, and courteous interactions outside a typical emergency situation.
Comstock businesses have been very welcoming of our staff and have shown great willingness to correct any deficiencies that may pop up during the inspection. Owners and managers understand the importance of making their businesses safe for their employees and customers.
Smoke Alarms and Carbon Monoxide Detectors
Smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors are a key factor in preventing fire-related and life-threatening dangers inside the home. Yet we continue to see many homes where detectors are not present in all recommended locations, have been removed, or are no longer functioning.
The department recommends you have one smoke alarm in a central location on each floor of the home, as well as one in each bedroom and in hallways outside sleeping areas. You should also have a carbon monoxide detector on every floor of your home (including the basement), as well as near or over attached garages.
Through our smoke alarm program, the department provides and installs smoke alarms to Comstock Township residents, free of charge.
Car Seat Checks & Installations
Have you had your child’s car seat or booster seat checked? Did you know that Comstock Fire now has 6 full-time firefighters that are nationally certified Child Passenger Safety Technicians (CPST)? Our certified firefighters are able to assist with the proper use of child restraint systems and seat belts. A majority of parents and caregivers still misuse their child restraints and need help to get it right. The best way to protect children in the car is to put them in the right seat at the right time. Vehicle crashes are a leading cause of death for children in the United States. Child restraints, or car seats, reduce the risk of injury by 71 to 82 percent.
We do car seat checks and installs (by appointment only) from 9:00 a.m. until noon on the 2nd Friday and 4th Saturday of each month at Comstock Station 9-2 (5947 E. H Ave). To make an appointment please call Lt. Michael Kessler at 269-345-9244.
CPR Training
Did you know that more than 90 percent of sudden cardiac arrest victims die before reaching the hospital? Yet when immediate CPR is provided on the scene, a victim’s odds of survival may double or even triple. Clearly, if a greater percentage of ordinary people knew CPR, a significant number of lives could be saved.
The fire department provides a CPR training program that teaches participants the critical skills and knowledge needed to perform CPR and use an AED in the event of a sudden cardiac arrest and manage an emergency in the first few minutes until emergency medical services take over. This program is frequently offered to Comstock High School students and other members of the community.
Reflective Address Signs
Comstock Fire has reflective green address signs available for Township residents. The signs are highly reflective and very useful during all emergencies. It is recommended they be installed on your mailbox or an existing pole that is visible from the roadway. If you would like to have a reflective sign installed at your home please contact Lt. Michael Kessler (Comstock Fire) at 269-345-9244.
Request a reflective address sign
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