Oak Ridge Today

Firehouse Subs Foundation donates equipment to ORFD, Roane County

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Firehouse Subs and Oak Ridge Fire Department Thermal Imaging Camera

Above, representatives of Firehouse Subs present a $10,000 thermal imaging camera to the Oak Ridge Fire Department in January. (Photo courtesy Oak Ridge Fire Department)

Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation recently donated a thermal imaging camera worth more than $10,000 to Oak Ridge Fire Department.

The foundation also donated first-aid kits and six automated external defibrillators, worth a total of more than $10,200, to Roane County Sheriff’s Office.

The equipment was presented in ceremonies at Firehouse Subs in Oak Ridge and Lenoir City.

The thermal imaging camera donated to ORFD will detect body heat and hot spots in burning buildings, allowing firefighters to reach victims quickly and put out deadly fires. [Read more…]

Firehouse Subs donates equipment to Oak Ridge Fire Department, Roane County sheriff

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Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation is donating  $20,000 worth of much-needed equipment to the Oak Ridge Fire Department and Roane County Sheriff’s Office, a press release said.

Events are planned in Oak Ridge on Wednesday and Lenoir City on Thursday to celebrate the donations of the life-saving tools, the release said.

The ORFD is receiving a thermal imaging camera, worth more than $10,000.

“The donated camera will detect body heat and hot spots in burning buildings, allowing firefighters to reach victims quickly and put out deadly fires,” the release said. [Read more…]

Small electrical fire displaces two dozen Applewood residents

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Applewood Apartments Building Residents

A small electrical fire at the Applewood Apartments on Hillside Road around noon Thursday displaced about two dozen residents. Above, Oak Ridge Fire Department Battalion Chief Marty Griffith talks to residents. (Photos by Tom Scott)

A small electrical fire at the Applewood Apartments on Hillside Road around noon Thursday displaced about two dozen residents, authorities said.

The fire was caused by an electrical short in the main power supply leading into the distribution system in the basement of a building at 184 Hillside Road, Oak Ridge Fire Department Chief Darryl Kerley said.

The fire at the basement fuse box was quickly extinguished with an extinguisher, ORFD Battalion Chief Marty Griffith said. He said a circuit breaker did its job, turning off power and minimizing damage. [Read more…]

Rescuers tried to save unresponsive student, cause of death unknown

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Linden Elementary School

Linden Elementary School is pictured above.

The third-grade student who died Tuesday had appeared to be asleep on a school bus, officials said Wednesday.

But other students were unable to awake him at a bus stop on Wilberforce Avenue at about 4:10 p.m. Tuesday. The bus driver parked the bus and went back to check on the boy, but she was unable to wake him or get him to respond, Oak Ridge Fire Department Chief Darryl Kerley said.

She called 911. A dispatcher gave the bus driver instructions to care for the boy until rescuers arrived, Kerley said.

Firefighters responded within two minutes. The bus stop is behind a fire station on Tuskegee Avenue. The boy was taken by ambulance to Methodist Medical Center, where he was later pronounced dead. [Read more…]

Firefighters will have controlled burns on Summit Ridge on Saturday

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State and local firefighters will have controlled burns on a prominent ridge top in south Oak Ridge on Saturday.

The burning on Summit Ridge between South Illinois Avenue and Scarboro Road will start at about noon Saturday and end before dark, an Oak Ridge Fire Department press release said. The burns will be conducted by the Tennessee Division of Forestry with help from the ORFD.

The goal is to help reduce the risk of an uncontrolled fire occurring at the site and to help promote the growth of new vegetation in the area, the release said.

Reminder: Change clocks, smoke alarm batteries this weekend

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With daylight savings time coming to an end this weekend and everyone setting their clocks back on Saturday night, the Oak Ridge Fire Department wants to remind everyone that it is time to change their smoke alarm batteries.

Smoke alarms should be checked at least once a month for proper operation and the batteries should be changed every six months. [Read more…]

Chemistry experiment waste starts trash can fire in ORHS classroom

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Oak Ridge High School Trash Can Fire

A small fire in a trash can in a chemistry classroom at Oak Ridge High School on Friday night was the result of an unintended reaction from waste products left over from a chemistry experiment earlier in the day. (Photos courtesy of Oak Ridge Fire Department)

A small fire in a trash can in a chemistry classroom at Oak Ridge High School on Friday night was the result of an unintended reaction from waste products left over from a chemistry experiment earlier in the day, Oak Ridge Fire Department Chief Darryl Kerley said.

The fire occurred just before 9 p.m. Friday. The classroom was filled with smoke when firefighters arrived, but they were able to use a fire extinguisher to put out the fire in a fire-resistant wastepaper container, which was inside a locked classroom, Kerley said. [Read more…]

Video: ORFD demonstrates fire ‘flashover’ in three minutes

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Have you ever heard the term “flashover”? Do you know how fast fire spreads throughout your house? Do you have a home escape plan? For the answers to these questions, and more, watch this video from the Oak Ridge Fire Department.

The Fire Department demonstrates how a fire that starts in a trash can in the corner of a room can “flash over” at 1,150 degrees and engulf an entire room in flames in about three minutes.

ORFD Chief Darryl Kerley said the Fire Department would prefer that residents not try to fight fires themselves unless they’ve had training in using a fire extinguisher and have it immediately available. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge fire chief to discuss risks, smoke alarms, exit plans

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Darryl Kerley

Darryl Kerley

Oak Ridge Fire Department Chief Darryl Kerley will discuss at-risk populations and the importance of smoke alarms and exit plans during a meeting this evening.

It’s the monthly meeting of the Oak Ridge Heritage and Preservation Association, and it starts at 7 p.m. today (Thursday) at the Midtown Community Center. The public is invited.

Kerley will talk about the city’s aging population being somewhat “at risk” and the importance of smoke alarms, exit plans, and personal information forms for residents with special needs at home during an emergency. [Read more…]

ORFD has fire demonstration Tuesday for Fire Prevention Month

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Oak Ridge Fire Department Burn Cell

A burn cell flashes over during a recent Oak Ridge Fire Department open house. (File photo)

The Oak Ridge Fire Department will have a fire demonstration Tuesday as part of Fire Prevention and Public Education Program month.

The demonstration is at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Fire Station No. 3, located at 333 Tuskegee Drive.

It’s the official kick off for remembering the Great Chicago Fire, which burned from Sunday, Oct. 8, to early Tuesday, Oct. 10, 1871, killing hundreds and destroying thousands of acres of property and buildings, a press release said. [Read more…]

ORFD open house includes fire demonstration

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Oak Ridge Fire Department Burn Cell

A burn cell flashes over during an Oak Ridge Fire Department open house on Thursday. (Submitted photo)

A Thursday evening open house at Fire Station No. 3 in Oak Ridge included a live fire demonstration of a typical living room fire, which allowed those who attended to watch a fire progress from start to “flashover” at 1,150 degrees.

The burn cells constructed for these type of demonstrations are located at Fire Station No. 3 and were built under a partnership agreement with the University of Tennessee’s National Forensic Academy and the Oak Ridge Fire Department as a teaching tool for fire development studies. The live fire demonstration allowed attendees to see firsthand how quickly a fire develops and the tremendous amount of heat released from a burning sofa and chair. The live fire demonstration illustrated the need for smoke alarms and exit drills to save lives when every second counts, a press release said. [Read more…]

ORFD launches home escape plan announcement tonight, public invited

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Darryl Kerley

Darryl Kerley

The Oak Ridge Fire Department will host a community viewing of a new public service announcement on home escape plans at 6:30 p.m. today (Thursday).

The announcement is titled “Be Prepared: Home escape plans save lives!” The public viewing at Fire Station No. 3 is open to everyone, and it’s supported by the State Fire Marshal’s Office.

“This program is going to give the fire service the opportunity to show how important having a home escape plan is and how the plan can be implemented by people of all ages,” ORFD Chief Darryl Kerley said. [Read more…]