With Rock Community Fire Protection District Fire Marshal Jeff DeLapp
To close out Fire Prevention Month, held every October, Tech Electronics sat down with the Rock Community Fire Protection District Fire Marshal Jeff DeLapp to discuss what he sees in the future of fire prevention.
“Being a fire marshal has always been my passion, to be in that position to educate the public through training and prevention,” said DeLapp.
DeLapp has worked in fire prevention his entire career and considers education and fire prevention to be his life’s passion. He has spent the last 35 years working with the Rock Community Fire Prevention District, roughly 22 of those years as the district’s fire marshal.
He said that while Fire Prevention Month is important, its values need to be carried on past the month of October. As a fire marshal he conducts inspections and enforces fire codes, but he also has educational responsibilities.
DeLapp was proud he was able to spend time in local schools, nursing homes and other facilities educating them on the steps they can take to protect themselves from fire risks.
He said a part of those efforts are ensuring that businesses and homeowners in his district are educated on fire prevention and prepared in the event of a fire. His district has an outreach program that teaches groups how to conduct “self-inspections,” so they are equipped with the skills necessary to keep their people safe.
“It’s almost like a home fire inspection, but they can also do a business fire inspection where they themselves can basically help prevent that from happening,” said DeLapp.
While these business inspections are a useful tool to keep prepared in case of fire, they are not a replacement for code-mandated inspections of fire alarm systems.
As a fire marshal, DeLapp enforces the district’s codes, which are derived from international organizations like the NFPA and IFC. Those codes are updated every three years, and he said it is important to remain apprised of what changes could be on the horizon.
“With our district performing the inspections that we perform, and through prevention, our fires have cut down by about 60%,” said DeLapp.
This year for Fire Prevention month, the NFPA has placed special emphasis on safe handling and usage of lithium-ion batteries. The batteries are ubiquitous, found in everything from household objects to electric cars, and they have the potential to cause large and dangerous fires if used incorrectly.
Another point that DeLapp addressed as a change he is seeing industry-wide is the increased enforcement of DAS or ERCES requirements. DAS (Distributed Antenna System) or ERCES (Emergency Responder Communication Enhancement Systems) are used to amplify radio signals for first responders.
The systems amplify radio signals that may not otherwise penetrate buildings, a dangerous proposition when first responders are trying to communicate with command during a fire.
While DAS and ERCES requirements have been included in the NFPA and IFC codes for over a decade, it is only recently that municipalities are beginning to enforce these requirements.
As code-enforcement and firefighting techniques continue to evolve, so do fire prevention and detection technology. For more information or to schedule a consultation, contact us.
