Fire Services

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Open Fires Containing the Following are Prohibited:
No person shall have an open fire containing leaves, grass, garbage, building materials, business waste, or any other prohibited materials.

Definitions:
Open Fire: Open Fire means any burning of combustible materials where the smoke is released into the open air without a chimney. Recreational fires and cooking fires are not open fires.

Recreational Fire: Recreational fire means the burning of wood for pleasure or cooking, either contained or uncontained as long as the total fire area is less than 8 feet in diameter and 4 feet in height, and at least 25 feet from the nearest structure or combustible material.

Wood: Wood means the trunk, logs, and branches part of a tree with bark. It does not include leaves, grass, stumps, roots, or wood products such as lumber.

Exceptions to Open Fires:
1. Open burning of wood as defined, and subject to the following regulations.
2. Recreational fires for burning wood as defined, and subject to the following regulations.
3. Agricultural fields may be burned for the maintenance of native grass and controlling natural growth along fence rows and drainage ditches. Such burning may only be done in areas zoned for agricultural use and only if the primary use is agricultural.

Regulations to Open Fires:
1. Prohibited on public property. No person shall burn a fire in any manner on streets, alleys, sidewalks, boulevards, bridges, and other public property or places.

2. Attending the fire is required. All open fires and recreational fires shall be continuously attended by a competent person with a garden hose connected to a water supply or have an approved fire extinguisher readily available to control the fire.

3. Distance from structures. Open fires must be at least 50 ft. from any structure or combustible material.

4. Hours. Open burning is permitted only between sunrise and sunset and must be completely extinguished at sunset.

5. Burn days. Burning wood on private property is prohibited unless the Fire Department has declared a "burn day".

6. Nuisance fires. You may be required to extinguish any open fire if it is determined to be causing dense smokes or constitutes a hazardous condition to life or property.

7. Hazardous conditions. When atmospheric conditions such as high winds make burning hazardous, open fires will be prohibited.

8. Burning to clear land. No personal shall burn refuse, wood, trees, brush, or similar organic growth for the purpose of clearing land for development.

Any additional questions can be directed to the Fire Department: (563-326-7906)

The DFD sponsors a car seat checkup event on the 4th Saturday of every month at Fire Station 6 located at 1735 W. Pleasant Street in Davenport. This event runs from March through October of each year and is from 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM. For Further Information, please call (563) 326-7907

As a reference, we have added the current Iowa laws regarding child passenger safety.

Child Safety Seat Use

Although current Iowa law states that only children who are under the age of six are required to be in appropriate child passenger safety seats, booster seat or seat belt, recommendations from both the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) provide more substantial guidelines for keeping your child safe. Following are the best practices prescribed by NHTSA and the AAP:

Proper Child Safety Seat Use Chart Buckle Everyone. Children Age 12 and Under in Back!
	INFANTS	TODDLER	YOUNG CHILDREN
WEIGHT	Birth to 1 year at least 20-22 lbs.	Over 1 year and Over 20 lbs.-40 lbs.	Over 40 lbs. Ages 4-8, unless 4'9''.
TYPE of SEAT	Infant only or rear-facing convertible	Convertible / Forward-facing	Belt positioning booster seat
SEAT POSITION	Rear-facing only	Forward-facing	Forward-facing
ALWAYS MAKE SURE:	Children to one year and at least 20 lbs. in rear-facing seats Harness straps at or below shoulder level	Harness straps should be at or above shoulders Most seats require top slot for forward-facing	Belt positioning booster seats must be used with both lap and shoulder belt. Make sure the lap belt fits low and tight across the lap/upper thigh area and the shoulder belt fits snug crossing the chest and shoulder to avoid abdominal injuries
WARNING	All children age 12 and under should ride in the back seat	All children age 12 and under should ride in the back seat	All children age 12 and under should ride in the back seat

If you would like a firefighter to instruct you on proper car seat installation, please click here to request assistance.

The Explorer Program is geared towards the City's teenagers, our next generation of firefighter personnel. The program provides training and education for students interested in the Davenport Fire Department. It follows the school year and includes monthly meetings with topics ranging from station tours, dispatching, and hands-on fire extinguisher training. Many former Explorers now work in the fire service or have fire responder roles within the community.

Interested individuals must have completed the 8th grade and be between the ages of 14 and 20.

Click here to register for the Explorer program electronically

Contact the Fire Prevention Bureau at 563-326-7907 for more information.

The DFD training site is located at 8228 N. Fairmount St in Davenport within the Eastern Iowa Community College District's Midwest Center for Safety and Rescue Training. The training center provides hands-on training for Davenport Firefighters as well as firefighters and public safety personnel from jurisdictions throughout Eastern Iowa.

Fire Suppression Training

Fire Suppression Training - The training site is equipped with an 11,000-square-foot building (Chief Mark Frese Fire Training Center) that has offices, a classroom, and a bay that can be used for various applications from rappelling to hose evolutions. It can provide technical rescue training situations such as a dark warehouse or tunnels, classrooms to provide didactic instruction, and props to provide hands-on training and live exercises. The scenario-based exercises reenact many situations encountered by firefighters and rescue workers.

The training site offers a variety of mock-up scenarios including: flat and peaked roof ventilation, numerous laddering situations, a drafting pond, a search and rescue maze, forcible entry scenarios, rope and high angle rescue situations, hose leads, standpipe leads, aerial ladder operations, auto extrication, a 2-story single family residence interior prop, and a propane fueled live fire marine firefighting prop.

Through on-going modular and specialized training the fire suppression training officers instruct approximately 135 firefighters and paramedics generating over 12,000 documented training hours a year. The training staff also evaluates new equipment and tactics being employed in the fire service and assesses if they are applicable to the needs of the DFD.

Emergency Medical Services Training

Emergency Medical Services Training - The DFD is an approved State recognized Continuing Education Provider for it's over 135 EMT's and Paramedics. To ensure quality emergency patient care for all citizens and visitors of Davenport all DFD members receive continual medical refresher training and updates on new medical practices and equipment as mandated by policy and protocol of the State of Iowa and National Registry of EMT's.

As a Continuing Education Provider the DFD in-house training upholds National and State EMS standards when conducting refresher training and skills testing. Topics such as multi-casualty incidents and weapons of mass destruction, respiratory and cardiac emergencies, traumatic and medical emergencies, and childbirth and pediatric emergencies are covered.

New Recruit Training

Firefighter recruits attend an 8-week academy where they learn basic firefighting skills and receive additional EMT training. In addition, new recruits receive Firefighter I and II as well as Hazardous Material First Responder Operations Training. They are required to receive certification in Firefighter I and become an EMT by the end of their one year probationary period.

Recruits with past firefighting experience may attend a shorter Academy and training focuses primarily on DFD procedures and protocols as well as area orientation and other conditions unique to the DFD.

Employment Opportunities

Learn about Employment Opportunities with the Davenport Fire Department

Increase Your Chances of Becoming a Firefighter

Candidate Physical Ability Test (CPAT)

Why Businesses Need AEDs (Automated External Defibrillators)

Over 350,000 people in the U.S. die each year from cardiac arrest. Cardiologists believe that over half of these people could be saved if there were widespread availability of defibrillators.

Defibrillators deliver an electric shock that restarts the heart in cardiac arrest victims. Unfortunately, the window of opportunity of saving the victim is around five to six minutes from the time of cardiac arrest. The American Heart Association (AHA) and cardiologists around the country are pushing for much wider availability of defibrillators. They believe that defibrillators should be available in many places such as factories, health clubs, apartment buildings and in private homes and should be able to be used by a variety of people who are not health care professionals.

The medical facts are alarming. Approximately half of all people who have heart disease die without warning, never having previously shown any symptoms of heart disease. In addition, cardiac arrest does not always mean that a heart attack has occurred. Clogged arteries can actually cause the heart's electrical impulses to become disorganized, which results in a condition called ventricular fibrillation which can last up to five minutes. An electric shock from a defibrillator reorganizes the electrical impulses so that the heart can resume its normal beating. Timing is crucial; with each passing minute the heart has less and less electrical activity. Contrary to what people see on TV and in movies, once a patient has "flat lined", there is no electrical activity left in the heart; it is too late for a defibrillator to save the patient.

The argument for widespread use of defibrillators has been made possible by the development of a new wave of defibrillators that are much easier to use and can be operated by almost anyone. The devices have several important features. All of the machines weigh about five pounds and were designed in consultation with the AHA to be simple for amateurs to use. Not only do the long life batteries eliminate the need for maintenance or recharging; computer chips also test the operating system each day. The machines give simple voice instructions so that users in a panic do not need to stop and read directions. According to the manufacturers, heart rhythms can be analyzed by the machine to determine if a shock is needed; if so, the machine then charges up, tells the rescuer to stand clear, and delivers a shock, sometimes two or three if necessary.

Companies are choosing to purchase defibrillators to help ensure the safety of their clients. American Airlines is the first airline to equip all of its planes with defibrillators and other airlines are also considering doing the same. Numerous businesses in Davenport have AED's already, and that number is expected to grow.

FAQ's

What's public access defibrillation?

Public access defibrillation (PAD) means making AED's available in public and/or private places where large numbers of people gather or people who are at high risk for heart attacks live.

What is an AED?

The automated external defibrillator (AED) is a computerized medical device. An AED can check a person's heart rhythm. It can recognize a rhythm that requires a shock. And it can advise the rescuer when a shock is needed. The AED uses voice prompts, lights and text messages to tell the rescuer the steps to take.

AED's are very accurate and easy to use. With a few hours of training anyone can learn to operate an AED safely. There are many different brands of AED's, but the same basic steps apply to all of them.

What is the cost of an AED?

AED's vary in cost by vendor and options. An AED can be purchased for $1,500 to $2,500.

Why would my business purchase an AED when Davenport Fire Department is 3-4 minutes away?

Only 5-10% of those who suffer sudden cardiac arrest survive. Time is critical; survival rates decrease 7-10% with every minute that treatment is delayed. CPR is not enough; immediate defibrillation is the most effective treatment within the first few minutes of arrest.

My business already has an AED in place, who do I need to contact regarding it?

Contact EMS Coordinator Captain Todd Witchelo at 563-888-2186 or

Email at f539@ci.davenport.ia.us

further information

AED Program: Implementation Guide for Business and Industry

American Heart Association Information on AED's

Davenport Fire Department Smoke Detector Program

According to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), one-third of all home fire deaths occur in homes without smoke alarms and 24% of fire deaths occur in homes where a smoke alarm was present but did not operate correctly. As a continuation of the State Fire Marshal's "100 Years, 100 Percent" Smoke Alarm Project, the Davenport Fire Department want to ensure that smoke alarms are installed in all homes in the city of Davenport. The goal of the Davenport Fire Department and Firefighter's Local 17 is to make sure all citizens are safe. Davenport Fire Department is proud to be partnered with the American Red Cross to achieve this goal.

In order to obtain a free smoke alarm we ask that you meet the following criteria:
1.) Live in the City of Davenport
2.) Be willing to let the DFD or its representative install the smoke alarm
3.) You must be a homeowner and living in that home (not a rental property)

Click here to submit a smoke detector request electronically

For more information, please contact Public Education Officer Lt. Zach Soliz at (563) 326-7907.