Providing a FIRST CHOICE community through excellence in public service

Chesterfield County, Virginia Department of Public Affairs

9901 Lori Road, Room 500 – P.O. Box 40 – Chesterfield, VA 23832

Phone: (804) 748-1161 – Fax: (804) 748-7609 – Internet: chesterfield.gov

DON J. KAPPEL

Director

Jan. 7, 2010

For immediate release

FIRE AND EMS DEPARTMENT CREDITS MEDIA SUPPORT,

FIRE-SAFETY PROGRAMS FOR PREVENTING FIRE DEATHS

IN 2009

CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, VA — Chesterfield County fire officials are crediting the

media’s attention to fire safety and ongoing county fire education programs for helping

to prevent any fire-related deaths in the county in 2009.

“We believe that the focused attention given to fire prevention and safety by our

media partners and the longstanding fire-education programs provided to schools and

communities countywide by fire and emergency medical service professionals both

contributed significantly to this success,” said Lt. Matt Coffin, community programs

coordinator for Chesterfield County Department of Fire and EMS.

“The critical element in continuing to prevent fires and save lives is maintaining

vigilance,” Coffin said. “To continue preventing fire-related deaths, we are reminding

everyone to remain vigilant about fire safety.”

For example, current colder-than-normal temperatures and a couple of recent

heating-related house fires have underscored the need to practice home-heating safety.

“Remember the motto ‘three feet from heat,’” Coffin said.

That means making sure that any flammable item be kept at least 3 feet from a

heating appliance.

Fire officials are appreciative of the efforts of the media to help spread such

safety information. In 2009, area media assisted by producing live call-in segments;

merging the news coverage of fires with timely safety messages; producing news

segments focused on heating appliances, discarded smoking materials, and the proper

use and maintenance of smoke detectors; and regularly broadcasting a regional smoke

detector hot-line number to help residents receive free smoke-detector installations.

For more information about fire safety, visit Chesterfield County Fire and EMS

online at chesterfield.gov (click on Departments, then Fire and EMS).

# # #