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Public Education

Home / Public Safety / Fire Rescue / Public Education and Training

Kathy Sellen
Public Education Unit

Phone: (863) 519-3473 (FIRE)

Email: FirePublicEducation@polk-county.net

Public Safety Education

Polk County Fire Rescue believes in public education as the key to prevention. Use this form to request a public safety education event for your school, business or community group. PCFR makes every effort to accommodate all requests. On occasion, our volume of requests, scheduled training and emergency calls may cause certain requests to be rescheduled, canceled or delayed.

Before requesting a program please be advised:

  • Priority is given to schools, daycare centers and community/nonprofit groups providing a service or event that promotes fire and life safety.
  • Fire department personnel and apparatuses do not make appearances at private parties or for-profit business functions, e.g. grand opening event for a new business, birthday parties, etc.

Thank you for your time and interest in the Polk County Fire Rescue Public Safety Education program.

When submitting a program request, please provide as much information as possible about your event and request services 10 to 14 days in advance.

Pubic Safety Education Program Request

Public Safety Education Classes Offered

Check, Call, Compress provides instruction for hands-only chest compression CPR and AED training designed to save lives of people in sudden cardiac arrest. This training is presented to neighborhoods and groups, at no charge, by Polk County Fire Rescue Public Education Staff. It includes a lecture with a PowerPoint presentation, video and hands-on exercise. This is not a certified class and does not meet the requirements for many jobs.

This class discusses how residents can prepare their children, pets, family and home for hurricane season.

This program is designed to teach people of all ages how and when to call 9-1-1, what to expect when calling 9-1-1, and encourages callers to know their full name, address and telephone number.

The PCFR Safety House is available to visit schools located in unincorporated Polk County. The Safety House course teaches children and adults how to safely escape in the event of a fire and participants will receive instruction in the proper use of 9-1-1. The Safety House is a mobile classroom setting that accommodates 25 students and classes last approximately 25 minutes. The Family Safety House cannot operate in inclement weather.

Polk County Fire Rescue offers a free class in how to properly use a portable fire extinguisher. This class includes instructional time, taught by Fire Rescue personnel and hands-on training using the BullEx Intelligent Training System (ITS). Using a controlled, propane-based fire to recreate an incipient stage fire, the ITS is designed to teach the Pull, Aim, Squeeze and Sweep (PASS) method in the cleanest, safest way possible.

Groups can schedule a visit to a Polk County Fire Rescue fire station for an educational tour. This includes fire safety education and an opportunity to see actual fire and emergency medical equipment up close. Attendees will also have the opportunity to see where firefighters work and stay.

For more information on Florida Firewise, contact the Lakeland office of Florida Forestry Service at (863) 648-3152.

Schedule a fire engine or ambulance visit for your upcoming event. A Polk County Fire Rescue fire engine and/or ambulance will come to your event to give attendees a chance to see actual fire and emergency medical service equipment up close.

During the Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays we talk about how to have a safe and happy holiday season.

Learn how to effectively protect your loved one and home from fires with these top tips.

At age 65, older adults are twice as likely to be killed or injured by fires or fall compared to the rest of the population. That is why Polk County Fire Rescue offers a series on fire and fall prevention classes for older adults called “Remembering When.” This program focuses on the many causes of injury to older residents and how to prevent them. It is centered on 16 key safety messages developed by experts from national and local safety organizations.

Basic swimming and water safety rules for kids kindergarten to fifth grade. This class is considered dry land education; no water/swim lessons are involved.

The Stop the Bleed initiative teaches the public how to help slow or prevent major blood loss using tourniquets and other compression techniques. The initiative was created by the American College of Surgeons, the Committee on Trauma and the Hartford Consensus in the wake of the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School.

Take 60 Seconds to Save a Child's Life

Pool Safety Tips
Childhood drowning and near-drowning can happen in a matter of seconds. They typically occur when a child is left unattended or during a brief lapse of supervision. Severe and permanent brain damage affects as many as 20 percent of near-drowning victims. Make sure your family is safe around water.

  • Make sure pools and spas are enclosed on four sides with a fence at least five feet high with self-closing and latching gates.
  • Drains in pools and spas should have anti-entrapment drain covers.
  • Learn infant and child CPR and always have a phone near the pool for emergency use.
  • Children should always swim under the supervision of a grown-up. Every child over the age of three should have swimming lessons.
  • Children using air-filled swimming aids should always be supervised by an adult within arm’s reach.
  • A U.S. Coast Guard-approved life jacket should be worn for water sports such as tubing, skiing or jet skiing. Air-filled aids such as inner tubes, water wings and inflatable rafts are not substitutes for approved life jackets.
  • It is important for children to learn and practice water safety rules. Here are some helpful water safety rules for children:
    • Children should swim only if a lifeguard or a grown-up gives you permission.
    • Teach children to obey the posted rules.

Encourage children to:

  • Check with the lifeguard to find out how deep the water is.
  • Always swim with a buddy.
  • Never jump or dive unless the lifeguard or a grown-up says it is okay to do so.
  • Don’t eat candy or chew gum when swimming.
  • Never swim at night.
  • Get out of the water right away if you hear thunder or see lightning.
  • When on a boat, everyone needs a seat and his or her own U.S. Coast Guard-approved life jacket.