Smoke alarms and carbon monoxide alarms save lives! In a house fire, you may have as little as two minutes to exit the home. The smoke and toxins are more lethal than the actual flames so working alarms are vital to a safer environment.

Learn all about where they should be placed, services provided by PFA, and what the different sounds mean. (Three beeps continuously sounding mean GET OUT. STAY OUT! While shorter chirps mean there is an issue with the power source such as old batteries or a tripped breaker in the home.)

Click here for answers to frequently asked questions about smoke and carbon monoxide alarms.

More information on smoke and carbon monoxide alarms

Sign up for this free, condensed version of the CPR, AED & Stop the Bleed class instructed by Poudre Fire Authority at fire stations. 

This non-certifying class teaches CPR and AED use to increase the ability of bystanders to provide lifesaving CPR in the first few minutes after a cardiac arrest. Participants will also learn how to identify life-threatening bleeding and perform Stop the Bleed actions.

We are excited to host this series of classes at our fire stations, featuring teaching from our firefighters and our Outreach and Education Team.  Sign up links are released approximately three weeks before each class.  

Skills are taught in a dynamic group environment with hands-on practice. This condensed version will teach you the basics needed to greatly increase someone’s chance of survival in those precious few minutes before professional first responders arrive.

Youth as young as 12 years old are welcome if accompanied by a parent/guardian.

PulsePoint - The Lifesaving App

At the completion of the course, participants will be encouraged to download Pulsepoint, a life-saving app which alerts users when CPR is needed in a public location within a quarter of a mile of their current geographic location.

Space is limited so please sign up below to reserve your spot. 

The Community Connect program is designed to enhance the safety and well-being of your family and property. By creating a secure profile, you can share vital information about your household with first responders. This information includes details about your home, medical needs, pets, and any other essentials that can help in an emergency. The program is free, easy to use, and confidential, ensuring that first responders are better prepared to assist you effectively.

Take a proactive step towards ensuring your family’s safety by registering with Community Connect today.

PFA offers this class in partnership with UCHealth multiple times each year.  Guest experts provide information on exercise, vision, safety, and medications. Experts include:

• A physical therapist.
• A vision expert.
• A firefighter.
• A pharmacist.

Topics include:

• Simple and fun balance and strength training.
• The role that vision plays in keeping your balance.
• How medications can contribute to falls.
• Ways to keep from falling out in your community.
• What to look for in safe footwear.
• How to eliminate falls hazards from your home.

Is this workshop for you?

Stepping On is designed specifically for anyone who:

• Is 60 years or older.
• Has had a fall in the past year.
• Is fearful of falling.
• Lives at home or in an independent living facility.
• Does not have dementia.

Email education@poudre-fire.org or call (970) 416-2891 with questions. 

 Sign up for the next Stepping On Fall Prevention Course here. 

PFA offers hands-on fire extinguisher and fire safety training using an augmented reality fire simulation and digital extinguisher. The tool allows trainers to place a virtual fire ‘over’ the real environment which people can see on a computer screen. They can then use the digital extinguisher just as they would a real extinguisher.

This hands-on training allows people to really feel what it’s like to hold and use extinguisher as well as practice the 4-step PASS method.

Topics covered include:       

• How an extinguisher works.
• When to use an extinguisher and when not to use one.
• How to use an extinguisher effectively.
• Different types of extinguishers and their uses.
• Common causes of fire.
• Cooking and lithium-ion battery safety.
• Best practices for home and business (e.g., establishing an escape plan, a meeting place, etc.).
• Considerations when purchasing smoke and carbon monoxide alarms and fire extinguishers.

 Click here to learn more about the training, fire extinguisher maintenance and to sign up!

Fire drills are an essential and often required piece of creating a safe living environment, especially in group environments such as the workplace, residential halls, and multi-family apartment buildings.

While PFA does not run fire drills for groups, we do provide resources to help you run your own and know the code requirements.

Watch a step-by-step instructional video about how to conduct your required fire drill here. 

Fire Evacuation Planning Checklist

Refer to the 2021 International Fire Code Section 404: Fire Safety, Evacuation, and Lockdown Plans.

404.1 General: Where required by Section 403, fire safety evacuation and lockdown plans shall comply with Sections 404.2 through 404.4.1.

404.2 Contents: Fire safety, evacuation and lockdown plan contents shall be in accordance with Sections 404.2.1 through 404.2.3.2.

404.2.1 Fire evacuation plans. Fire evacuation plans shall include the following:

• Emergency egress or escape routes and whether evacuation of the building is to be complete by selected floors or areas only or with a defend-in-place response.
• Procedures for employees who must remain to operate critical equipment before evacuating.
• Procedures for the use of elevators to evacuate the building where occupant evacuation elevators complying with Section 3008 of the International Building Code are provided.
• Procedures for assisted rescue for persons unable to use the general means of egress unassisted. Procedures for accounting for employees and occupants after evacuation has been completed.
• Identification and assignment of personnel responsible for rescue or emergency medical aid. The preferred and any alternative means of notifying occupants of a fire or emergency.
• The preferred and any alternative means of reporting fires and other emergencies to the fire department or designates emergency response organization.
• Identification and assignment of personnel who can be contacted for further information or explanation of duties under the plan.
• A description of the emergency voice/alarm communication system alert tone and preprogrammed voice messages where provided.

404.2.2 Fire safety plans. Fire safety plans shall include the following:

• The procedure for reporting a fire or other emergency.
• The life safety strategy including the following:
  • Procedures for notifying occupants, including areas with a private mode alarm system.
  • Procedures for occupants under a defend-in-place response.
  • Procedures for evacuating occupants, including those who need evacuation assistance.
• Site plans indicating the following:  
  • The occupancy assembly point.
  • The locations of fire hydrants.
  • The normal routes of fire department vehicle access. 
• Floor plans identifying the locations of the following:
  • Exits.
  • Primary evacuation routes.
  • Secondary evacuation routes. 
  • Accessible egress routes.
    • Areas of refuge.
    • Exterior areas for assisted rescue
  • Refuge areas associated with smoke barriers and horizontal exits.  
  • Manual fire alarm boxes.
  • Portable fire extinguishers.  
  • Occupant-use hose stations.
  • Fire alarm annunciators and controls.
• A list of major fire hazards associated with the normal use and occupancy of the premises, including maintenance and housekeeping procedures.
• Identification and assignment of personnel responsible for maintenance of systems and equipment installed to prevent or control fires.
• Identification and assignment of personnel responsible for maintenance, housekeeping and controlling fuel hazard sources.

Download a PDF of the Fire Evacuation Planning Checklist (according to the International Fire Code) here. 

The Knox HomeBox program is designed to allow firefighters to more quickly gain access to a private home in the event of an emergency.

Knox HomeBoxes are small, heavy-duty and locked boxes that can be affixed to a standard residential door. Only firefighters can get into the boxes to access a key to the home, which prevents potential damage to the door upon entry.

Learn more about how the Knox HomeBox works and how to purchase one here. 

Fort Collins, Laporte, Bellvue, and other communities within PFA's jurisdiction enjoy beautiful views and proximity to nature, but this area, where development and nature meets, can also pose risks.

PFA partners with the Colorado State Forest Service, Larimer County, the Colorado Division of Fire Prevention and Control, and other partners to provide resources and trainings about how to protect yourself, your home, and your pets.

PFA offers a customized WUI course for neighborhoods in those areas that focuses on specific actions people can take to prepare their properties for a wildfire.

We also offer one hour visits to individual properties to assess the various wildfire risks to structures, and provide priorities and recommendations for home hardening and mitigation. These Home Ignition Zone Assessments (HIZA) are available through our Educational Request Form, accessible by clicking the link below.

Click here to learn more about recommendations for protecting your home.

A crucial community resource, PFA's Youth Firesetting Prevention and Intervention program, is designed to assess risky behavior in adolescents who show an unhealthy curiosity about fire.

This free program is conducted in welcoming sessions often between the child, members of their family or caregivers, and one of our YFS professionals. These staff members are trained on identification, intake, screening, disposition, and follow-up used to mitigate youth firesetting behavior.

Course content includes understanding the motivations behind youth firesetting and how the impact of adverse childhood experiences and behavioral/mental health challenges can influence firesetting behaviors. The course mentorship and support from training staff.

Where and why does firesetting happen?

• Some children set fire out of curiosity but often it is a response to some sort of trauma.
• Younger children typically set fires in their home, often hiding in their bedroom – a location with numerous flammable materials.
• Older children often play with fire outside of the home.
• Most children who set fires lack fire safety education but, more importantly, appropriate parental supervision.
• Children mistakenly believe they can control the fires they set.
• Once a fire is set, it only takes about 2 minutes for the flame from a single match to set an entire room on fire, and less than 5 minutes for that fire to overtake an entire home.

The program is conducted on a referral basis.

Fill out this form to refer a child.