The Community Risk Management Division is the Fire Marshal’s Office / Fire Prevention Division of the Central Yavapai Fire District. Exciting growth in the 160 square mile Fire District has impacted the Fire Marshal’s Office from plans review to new construction and business inspections. We work very closely with the Town of Prescott Valley, the Town of Dewey/Humboldt and the Yavapai County Building Department to ensure that commercial and residential plans and Planned Area Developments are reviewed and returned in a timely manner. The Division welcomed an additional Fire Safety Specialist this past year to handle the increased work load. The current staff consists of an Assistant Chief / Fire Marshal, three Fire Safety Specialists, and an Administrative Assistant.
We performed 252 new construction inspections and 1000 inspections in existing occupancies during 2006. The late fall opening of the new Tim’s Toyota Center in Prescott Valley in 2006 required our staff to be present during planning sessions, monitor, and stand-by at a record number of events from hockey games to concerts and monster truck events.
Out of 50 fires investigated in 2006, there were zero fire fatalities. The Fire Marshal and all of the Fire Safety Specialists are Arizona IAAI tested Arson Investigators who attend yearly continuing education classes to stay current with new technology and investigative procedures.
 Our effort to educate residents and promote fire safety in our community takes on many forms including the purchase of “Truckee”, our 10 foot firefighter walk around this past year. In addition, we participated in more than 48 public talks and events to share information about our educational programs and services.
Fire Pals
The Fire Pal program is a program designed for K-5th grades in which seven off-duty firefighters spend 4-5 hours per month throughout the school year teaching life safety skills to the children. The 30 minute modules that are taught include the following:
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Kindergarten-September
Kindergarten-October
Kindergarten-November
Kindergarten-December |
Be a Safe Pedestrian and/or Bike Safety
Stop, Drop and Roll
Crawl Low Under Smoke
Know Your Firefighter |
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First Grade-September
First Grade-October
First Grade-November
First Grade-December
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Call “9-1-1” to Report an Emergency
Firearm Safety
Cool A Burn With Water
Matches and Lighters are Tools Not Toys
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Second Grade-September
Second Grade-October
Second Grade-November
Second Grade-December |
Practice Transportation Safety
Use a Home Fire Escape Plan
Help the Fire Department
Consequences of Firesetting |
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Third Grade-January
Third Grade-February
Third Grade-March
Third Grade-April |
Practice Fire Drills in School
Be a Happy Latchkey Child (I)
Bike Safety
Practice Water Safety |
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Fourth Grade-January
Fourth Grade-February
Fourth Grade-March
Fourth Grade-April |
Use and Maintain Smoke Detectors
Be a Happy Latchkey Child (II)
Practice Vehicle Safety
Understand Firearm Safety |
Currently eight schools consisting of 3087 children are involved in the program including all of the Humboldt Unified School District and two charter schools.
Fire Clown Program
The CYFD Clown Program is designed to teach fire and life safety skills to high risk individuals and age groups in our community. The largest numbers of fire deaths in the country today are children under 5 years of age and adults over 65 years of age. The fire prevention clowns are regularly scheduled to visit the area pre-schools and the public library to teach pre-school age children fire safety practices. They also visit elderly care homes teaching area seniors fire safety principles targeted toward senior living. The modules for the fire clown program include:
| Oct – Pre-School: Pedestrian safety |
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Seniors: Fall Prevention |
| Nov – Pre-School: Poison control…Officer Ugg |
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Seniors: Meds safety |
| Dec – Pre-School: Hot things can hurt you |
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Seniors: Cooking Safety |
| Jan – Pre-School: Tools not Toys |
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Seniors: Fire safety |
| Feb – Pre-School: Stop, Drop, & Roll |
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Seniors: Stop, Drop, & Rol |
| Mar – Pre-School: Know what to do when the smoke alarm sounds/ |
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Crawl low in smoke
Seniors: Know what to do when the smoke alarm sounds/
Crawl low in smoke |
| Apr – Pre-School: Water Safety & know your fire department |
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Seniors: Know your firefighter |
| Approximately 72 programs are presented annually at area pre-schools, elderly care homes and the public library. |
Juvenile Fire Stop Program
The Central Yavapai Fire District works with the Yavapai County Juvenile Probation office along with Prescott Valley Police Department and the Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office in accepting referrals to our Fire Stop Program. The Juvenile Fire Stop Program requires attendance by juveniles who are caught setting fires or are often referred by their parents when they have a fascination with fire. The program consists of 2 two-hour classes which include the juvenile, their parents and any siblings in the home. Twenty-six classes were taught in 2006.
Wildland Defensible Space Program
The Federal Government has determined that the Prescott area has one of the highest potentials for a major wildland fire in the western United States. The Wildland Defensible Space Program is a program that assists fire district residents in helping protect their home and property from wildfire. It is funded by a 50/50 matching Federal Wildland Grant. Residents of the fire district may call the Community Risk Management Division and request a free assessment of their property.
An inspector will come out and assess the property and fill out a form and diagram of clearing that needs to be done to make the property defendable from a major wildfire. The homeowner then hires a licensed contractor to do the work and pays him when the work is completed. The homeowner then calls the fire department back to assess the work that was done. If the work is completed according to the diagram and what was discussed with the fire inspector, the homeowner gives a copy of his paid receipt to the fire official and they may be reimbursed for all or a portion of the amount paid for the work. (The reimbursement amount is determined at the time the assessment is done and the receipt must be a legitimate receipt which includes all pertinent information of the homeowner and the contractor who completed the work).
Over 290 acres of property were assessed for defensible space in the fire district in 2006, and of the property assessed, 255 acres were treated to make it defendable from wildfire at a cost of $123,000. Although creating defensible space is not a 100% guarantee that your home will be protected from wildfire, it will give your home a fighting chance during a major wildland fire.
Babysitting Classes
During the summer months while school is out, the Central Yavapai Fire District offers week long babysitting classes to boys and girls over the age of eleven. The class is from 9:00am to 12:00pm Monday through Thursday. A number of speakers teach the class which covers topics ranging from nutrition, CPR, stranger/danger, behavior, SIDS, to 9-1-1. A small fee is charged to cover the cost of materials and a certificate and book is included with the class.
Occupancy Inspections
Occupancy inspections for all businesses within the Central Yavapai Fire District are performed on a yearly basis by the Community Risk Management Staff and by the engine companies. The International Fire Code that was adopted by the Fire District requires that business inspections are conducted on a regular basis. The intent of the fire and life safety inspection is to identify a potential hazard and make corrections to avoid an injury or dangerous situation. This may prevent someone from getting injured on your property or loss of revenue due to a fire.
The Central Yavapai Fire District completes over 1500 business inspections per year. Businesses with kitchen hood systems or spray booths are required to be inspected, serviced and tagged every six months by a qualified technician. Fire sprinkler systems, fire alarm systems and fire extinguishers are required to be inspected, serviced and tagged once a year by a qualified technician. We value your business in our community and our mission is to help keep you safe in our community.
Fire Investigations
The Central Yavapai Fire District investigates approximately 50 fires a year. Each fire is systematically investigated to determine the origin and cause. All of the fire investigators in the Community Risk Management office are International Association of Arson Investigators (IAAI) tested after 160 hours of classroom and hands on training. Each year the fire investigators attend continuing education classes to keep up to date on changing methods and new technology in the fire investigations field.
The Central Yavapai Fire District occasionally uses outside resources to assist in fire investigations if the fires are large and complex or extremely technical in nature. The outside investigative resources used include the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Alcohol Tobacco & Firearms, the Maricopa County Arson Task Force as well as the fire investigations canine unit from the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office. Once a fire investigation is complete, the fire is determined to be Accidental, Natural, Incendiary or Suspicious, or Undetermined in nature as a result of the fire investigation.
Fire reports may be requested through the Community Risk Management Division by calling 928-759-9933.
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