(239) 390-8000 ~ 21500 Three Oaks Parkway, Estero, Florida 33928

Safety Encyclopedia

New Year’s Fireworks Safety

New Year’s Fireworks Safety

Fireworks Statistics In 2015, U.S. hospital emergency rooms treated an estimated 11,900 people for fireworks related injuries; 51% of those injuries were to the extremities and 41% were to the head. Children younger than 15 years of age accounted for one-quarter (26%)...

Smoke Alarm Batteries

Smoke Alarm Batteries

Effective January 12, 2015, state lawmakers updated the Florida Building Code to require the use of batteries that last 10 years in residential smoke detectors. This is a benefit to homeowners as they will not have to remember to replace their smoke alarm batteries...

Fire Escape Plan

Fire Escape Plan

Plan ~ Then Practice Have you practiced your plan recently? You should, because changes that happen within your home could affect how well the plan works. By practicing four times every year—once every time the season changes—you can make any changes that will ensure...

Backyard Safety

Backyard Safety

Keep Children Safe Keep children indoors while mowing or using other dangerous outdoor tools. Keep children far away from barbecue grills when cooking. All garden equipment and tools should be kept where children cannot reachthem. Store all sharp tools pointing...

Safe Use of Turkey Fryers

Thanksgiving - The Safe way Each year, cooking fires cause millions of dollars in damage and injury thousands; more residential fires occur on Thanksgiving Day than on any other day of the year, according to the U.S. Fire Administration. The number of fires reported...

Trick or Treat Safety

Trick or Treat Safety

It’s important for parents to actively teach and promote Halloween safety to help ensure a safe, memorable adventure you and your children will long remember. Here are 13 important Halloween Safety Tips from Estero Fire Rescue and the Centers for Disease Control and...

Residential Fire Sprinkler Systems

Residential Fire Sprinkler Systems

Benefits & Statistics Myths vs. Facts How Home Sprinklers Work Flyers to Print US Fire Admin. Brochure Presentation Benefits Presentation (9/15) Resolution of the board of commissioners of the Estero Fire Rescue District, Lee County, Florida, requiring the...

Pool and Swimming Safety

Pool and Swimming Safety

Summer is here! While Floridians need to be vigilant about water safety year-round, it’s especially important that we review our drowning prevention now, as schools let out for summer vacation and temperatures are on the rise. In 2002, an estimated 1,600 children were...

Pool and Spa Drain Covers

Pool and Spa Drain Covers

Make yours safe! On December 19, 2007, the President signed into law the Virginia Graeme Baker Pool and Spa Safety Act, named after the daughter of Nancy Baker and the granddaughter of former Secretary of State James Baker. Graeme Baker died in a tragic incident in...

Playground Safety Tips

Playground Safety Tips

Each year 200,000 children are seen in US emergency rooms for playground related injuries. Many of these injuries are due to falls on to hard surfaces. National Playground Safety Week is a time to focus on children's outdoor play environments. It is a time to pledge...

Poison Prevention

Poison Prevention

As summer draws to an end and students return to classes, Estero Fire Rescue reminds you not to let home safety take a back seat.  Each year, more than 2 million cases of poisoning are reported to the nation’s poison control centers with a majority of these calls...

Pet and Heat Safety

Pet and Heat Safety

Pet and Heat Safety With temperatures reaching into the 100’s across the country, the topic of keeping cool is on everyone’s mind.  A simple walk to the mailbox brings on buckets of sweat and a need for a cool drink.  As hard as the heat is on many in the area, don’t...

Outdoor Fireplace Safety

Outdoor Fireplace Safety

More and more people are using outdoor fireplaces and chimenea than ever before. It is important to always remember than anytime you work with fire there is a chance of losing control of it or getting burned. If you are considering the purchase of one, always be aware...

Hurricane Preparation Information

Hurricane Preparation Information

What is a hurricane? A hurricane is a powerful tropical storm that measures several hundred miles in diameter. Hurricanes have two main parts: The Eye of the hurricane, which is a calm area in the center of the storm. Usually measures about 20 miles in diameter, and...

Organ Transplants

Organ Transplants

Every day, Estero Fire Rescue responds to life threatening situations.  In some cases, due to prolonged illness or disease, the only hope for an individuals survival is an organ transplant. More than 95,000 people are in need of an organ for transplant. Each day,...

Human Behavior in Emergencies

Human behavior has been recognized as a factor in the loss of life in fires for many years. Studies of human behavior during emergencies have assisted code developers and public educators to identify factors that affect occupant survival during a fire emergency. Human...

Home Sprinkler System Benefits

Home Sprinkler System Benefits

Home fire sprinklers save lives and protect property…the lives and property you value most. It is clear that home fire sprinklers are a smart choice. That’s why they are growing in popularity across the country. View EFR's Presentation on Residential Sprinkler Systems...

Home Sprinkler System Myths and Facts

Home Sprinkler System Myths and Facts

All sprinkler heads in the building go off at the same time causing water to flow where there is no fire. Only one or two sprinkler heads closest to the fire will activate. In the majority of fires, only one sprinkler head will put out the fire. Water flowing from an...

How Home Sprinklers Work

How Home Sprinklers Work

The system consists of a series of piping connected to the water source and supplying the sprinkler heads throughout the home. Each residential sprinkler head is equipped with a heat sensor set to break at a prescribed temperature  (usually 135 – 145 degrees...

How to React to Emergencies in a High Rise

How to React to Emergencies in a High Rise

Prevention Tips Ways to Keep your Residence Safe: Never keep rubbish in the hallway. Make sure it is stored properly and collected  regularly. Don’t put items in the trash chute that are too big and may get stuck. Things caught in the chute easily can turn a fire in...

Safety for Residents of High Rise Buildings

Safety for Residents of High Rise Buildings

The attack on the World Trade Center created a catastrophic collapse of both towers. While this tragedy will be reviewed and evaluated for a long time to come, it has prompted Americans to rethink fire safety. A fire in a high-rise residential building can be confined...

Evacuating High Rise Buildings

Evacuating High Rise Buildings

The attack on the World Trade Center created a catastrophic collapse of both towers. While this tragedy will be reviewed and evaluated for a long time to come, it has prompted Americans to rethink fire safety. A fire in a high-rise residential building can be confined...

Heater and Fireplace Safety

Heater and Fireplace Safety

Heating equipment is a leading cause of home fires during the months of December, January and February, and trails only cooking equipment in home fires year-round. Install your stationary (fixed) space heater according to manufacturer’s instructions or applicable...

Fourth of July Fireworks and Safety

Fourth of July Fireworks and Safety

As the days grow longer and the evenings warmer, you know that summer is here.  Schools are out and vacations begin; time for fun and family celebrations.  But remember to take a few seconds to check for safety so that your day of fun doesn’t end with an emergency. ...

Cleaning up Broken Fluorescent Lamps

Cleaning up Broken Fluorescent Lamps

Clean them up Safely Many homeowners are trying energy efficient compact fluorescent lamps or bulbs (also called CFLs) in their homes for the first time. The Florida Department of Environmental Protection recommends trying them in many different applications and...

Fire Prevention Week

It all Started with a Cow The week of October that includes October 9th  is designated as Fire Prevention Week.  But what does this mean and where did this come from.  It all started with a cow…..(or so the legend goes). On October 8, 1871 in Chicago, a fire broke out...

Preventing Brush Fires

Preventing Brush Fires

Safety Information What to do when fire threatens:   Meet with your family to decide where to go if wildfire threatens   Have an evacuation plan prepared and make sure everyone knows the plan   Choose an out-of-county or out-of-state contact for everyone to call to...

Child Car Safety and Booster Seats

Child Car Safety and Booster Seats

Changes in Child Restraint Law (Booster Seats) FAQs, Facts & Figures What is changing about Florida’s Child Restraint Law? Beginning January 1, 2015, children aged 4 and 5 must be secured in a crash-­‐tested, federally approved child restraint device such as child...

Move to the Right for Sirens and Lights

Move to the Right for Sirens and Lights

If you or someone you love is in need of emergency assistance, you want help to get there right away. Did you know that there’s one thing everyone can do to help the firefighters provide this emergency assistance as quickly as possible? It’s as simple as Moving to the...

Campus Life Safety

College life.  There isn’t anything quite like it.  It is the beginning of a new life into an adulthood for many college students.  For many parents, it is a time of mixed feelings; wanting their child to become independent....but not too independent. Colleges and...

Hand Sanitizer FAQs

Hand Sanitizer FAQs

Hand Sanitizers Frequently Asked Questions Do hand sanitizers reduce the spread of bacteria and disease? Yes!  Studies have shown they are effective in reducing the spread of illness in households, elementary schools and in university dormitories. Can hand sanitizers...

Dryer Safety

Dedicated and Driven for those we serve ~ that is the mission of Estero Fire Rescue.   Part of that service is to provide the public with life saving lessons that they can do themselves to lessen the danger to their family.  Your home should be a safe haven.  But when...

Storage and Use of Charcoal and Gas Grills

Storage and Use of Charcoal and Gas Grills

We are providing the following information in reference to LP gas grills and charcoal grills stored and or operated for cooking purposes within apartments, garages or on balconies. Below are the fire codes that can be informational when trying to determine whether a...