Fire Prevention School

Fifty –First Annual

NORTH CAROLINA

FIRE PREVENTION SCHOOL

April 26 - April 30, 2010

National Guard Training Center

Fort Fisher

Click here for the registration

FIRE PREVENTION SCHOOL

General Information

The Fifty - First Annual North Carolina Fire Prevention School will be held April 26 – April 30, 2010 at the National Guard Training Center at Fort Fisher, Kure Beach (south of Wilmington). Sponsored by the NC Association of Fire Chiefs, NC Fire Marshals’ Associations, and Cape Fear Community College, the school will begin on Monday, at 1:00 p.m. and end after the written exam on noon Friday. Classes will run to 4:30 p.m. on Monday and from 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday-Thursday. Students will be free to leave upon completion of the written exam on Friday, and there will be no time limit on the exam. Attendance in all classes is required.

The Fire Prevention School’s philosophy has always been to offer competency-based instruction, whereby, the student is exposed to a broad base of material going beyond the requirements of the fire code. With this in mind, students should not be subjected to a duplication of the certification classes but will receive more in-depth study on related topics.

Four courses make up the North Carolina Fire Prevention School including Basic (General), Intermediate (General/Technical), and Advanced (Advanced Technical). The fourth class, Graduates (Advanced Technical/Managerial), has been added. All courses are being offered this year, and Basic, Intermediate, and Advanced must be completed in order to graduate from the school. Students should plan to take the three courses in succession regardless of their position in their jurisdiction. After completing the three courses, individuals will be eligible to take the Graduates Course. The Graduates course is offered for those who have completed the three-year Fire Prevention School (Basic, Intermediate, and Advanced) or who have come into their department in a supervisory position.

Basic (General) - this course will offer general information on the Survival of the Fire Inspector, Building Construction, Using the Fire Code with Other Codes including Zoning, Electrical Hazards, Flammable and Combustible Tank Installation, Interior Finishes, General Precautions (Chapter 3), and others. It is designed for the novice inspector or for the experienced inspector who seeks an update on Fire Code requirements. Students should bring a copy of the 2006 IBC with NC Amendments

Intermediate (General/Technical) – this course offers the student a mixture of general and technical information. It will provide information from the code and will address material used daily by the Fire Inspector. Topics include Fire Protection Systems, Means of Egress and Occupancy Calculations, Fire Alarm Systems, Hazardous Materials, Emergency Planning (Chapters 4 & 5) and others.

Advanced (Advanced Technical) - this course offers the student a look at more advanced technical information. Topics include Civil Liability, Plan Review, Ethanol & Bio-diesel Production Facilities, Alternative Extinguishing Systems, Explosives/Fireworks, Special Problems in the Filming Industry (site visit) Flammable Liquids (Chapter 34), and others.

Graduates (Advanced Technical/Managerial) - this course will offer students information/training on advanced technical and managerial subjects. Topics will include Management of the Fire Prevention Bureau (looking at current topics of interest), NFPA/ICC Topics, Fireworks Permitting, and Smoke Curtains. The Graduates Class is offered to graduates of the Fire Prevention School or supervisors who are new to the area of fire codes and standards.

The IFC Fire Prevention Code with NC amendments will be the primary text; the NC Building Code with NC amendments will be used and Vol 1-A will be referenced. The code books will not be available on the premises. Please contact the NC Department of Insurance, Engineering Division, at telephone (919) 661-5880 for information on ordering a code book. Class participants will need to bring their code books.

On Monday night there will be an informal social to renew old acquaintances and make new ones, and on Thursday night, there will be a cookout (both are included in registration) for all students followed by an informal discussion to address topics of current interest. Students will be able to further discuss code enforcement topics and issues not covered in class. The cost of the cookout is included in the registration. We welcome students to forward specific code questions for the discussion on Thursday --the questions may include items you are dealing with locally. Individuals may send in their questions by email to ncafc@suddenlink.net by April 15, 2010.

The renovated dorm/lodge rooms on base are available for use by students this year. Two dorm rooms share a bath between two sleeping rooms at a rate of $23.00 each per night. There are also cottages on base that will accommodate 3 to 8 students (minimum of 3 students required to rent a cottage). These cottages are available for $23.00 per night per student. Students interested in more information or to reserve a dorm room or cottage should contact Katie Powell @ 910-458-6299 or Michelle Usher @ 910-251-7317. Students are responsible for their own reservations and should note they are attending the Fire Prevention School.

Lodging has been arranged at a special rate for this school at the Golden Sands Motel (five miles from Training Center). The motel has offered the same price as last year. All rooms are ocean front. The rates are $79.00 per night plus tax. Please make reservations directly to the motel by calling 1-888-458-8334 or (910) 458-8334. Students are responsible for their own reservations and should note they are attending the Fire Prevention School.

On Monday evening, there will be a social for the students to meet and greet other students

Under the NC Code Officials Qualification Board (Q-Board), the NC Association of Fire Chiefs is an approved sponsor for Continuing Education credit and will offer a minimum of 12 hours of continuing education credit for each level of the Fire Prevention School courses and 3.0 continuing education units from the Community College.