Gloucester Volunteer Fire and Rescue Squad’s Fire Prevention Officer Lt. Tony Villani and Assistant Fire Prevention Officer Tony Saccaro, are willing to go the extra mile to teach Gloucester residents how to prevent fires. But they also work to make sure residents, especially children, are prepared to react if a fire does occur.

Villani and Saccaro encourage teachers to bring their classes by Station 1 on Main Street to see the fire trucks up close and to learn about the equipment and about what they should do in case of fire. If a visit to the firehouse isn’t possible, they’ll take a fire truck to the school. The children practice dialing 911 and reporting trouble, learn what to do when a smoke or carbon dioxide detector goes off, and are taught the importance of having an evacuation plan in case of fire.

In addition, the children are shown how to use a fire extinguisher (if the school supplies one), learn how to “stay low and go” while escaping a fire, and practice how to “stop, drop and roll” if they somehow catch on fire.

Finally, a firefighter will put on all of his firefighting gear, including his breathing apparatus and mask, to familiarize the children with what a firefighter looks like when entering a burning building so they won’t be afraid and hide.

“Instead of them being afraid, we want them to go to the firefighter,” said Villani.

Fire safety surveys

Villani and Saccaro offer free fire safety surveys for homeowners and small businesses in Gloucester. Because they’re volunteers, the men don’t conduct fire inspections and don’t issue any kind of citation if they find issues.

“We’re not agents of any government and don’t have the authority to do that,” said Villani.

Instead, they go through a residence or small business and point out where electrical outlets might be overloaded or advise the owner about materials that are flammable or hazardous and need to be removed. Because of a recent fire in which a child’s battery-powered riding dump truck caught fire and threatened the house, they now advise people to leave such toys outdoors. The men suggest that property owners acquire an ABC fire extinguisher, check that any existing fire extinguishers are charged and up to date, and give advice on how to use one. They also check to make sure doors to businesses swing outward, and make sure that clutter doesn’t block exit doors.

Life safety hazards such as stairs without railings are pointed out, as well, said Villani.

The men said they methodically go through the structure room by room, check the attic, and peek in the crawlspace if it’s accessible. They’ll check the perimeter of the house for issues with vegetation or with grills that might be too close to the house. They also advise homeowners who live down long lanes to keep tree branches and vegetation cut back from their driveway so large fire trucks can navigate the roadway to get to the house.

The amount of time the survey takes depends on the size of the building and the number of issues found, said Villani.

Addresses

Villani said that, in spite of the fact that Gloucester now has 911 addresses and digitized map books, there are still sometimes problems finding people’s houses. This is because many people either don’t have their house number on their property or they have it attached in such a way that it’s not visible from every direction.

For example, if the house number is only placed on one side of the roadside mailbox, a crew coming from the opposite direction won’t necessarily see it, he said. The number should either be on both sides of the mailbox or facing the road, clearly visible to vehicles approaching at night from any direction. If a house is down a long lane with other houses, he said, the house number should be in at least three different places—where the lane turns off the main road, where the individual driveway turns off the lane, and on the house itself.

Volunteer firefighters might respond to a fire directly from their home, late at night, in all kinds of weather, said Villani, and adequate identification of the home or business address makes it easier for them to find the correct property.

“Seconds count in a fire,” he said.

To request a fire safety survey, visit www.gvfrs.org, click on the Fire Prevention page, and fill out the form. For more information or to request a tour of the firehouse, email fireprevention@gvfrs.org.