I. These are guidelines for conducting a station tour or public education class. Station tours and public education classes shall normally be conducted under the supervision of the Duty Captain or by his/her approval.

A. Dress uniforms shall be worn by all personnel when conducting station tours or public education.

B. Age of the visitors and their main objective for the visit and or class shall be determined by the Duty Captain or person setting up the event prior to the visit. The following items should be addressed:

1. Different age groups may require certain types of hand-out material. Video presentations and personal delivery style should be coordinated to the age group in question.

2. Determine the total visitor count. Make sure plenty of adult supervisors accompany larger groups of young visitors This helps determine where your group will meet, how they will fit the facility and how well you can control the group.

3. Determine the objective of the visit. For example, career opportunities might be better delivered by first explaining the work environment, pay, employment requirements, etc., Fire prevention topics may be better addressed by showing a video or using hand-out materials.

II. Participation of District Personnel

Any employee can be designated to conduct the tour, class or portions thereof. The Captain has discretion. By coordinating the tour/class with the other personnel on the shift prior to the proposed date, you can establish who will M/C or command the tour/class. Using all personnel to conduct the tour/class will help them become better public speakers and improve their skills in relating with the public.

III. Procedure

A. Use I.C.S. to divide the tour/class and not let it all become the responsibility of one person. An example might be:

1. Introduction and video presentation

2. Stop-Drop-&-Roll exercise

3. Stay low in the smoke drill. (Utilizing a clean floor and a bed sheet as smoke.)

4. Station tour. Make sure office staff are aware of the tour.

5. Apparatus tour. Divide the visitors into smaller groups if necessary and have district personnel for each apparatus. Rotate the groups. Smaller groups will get more benefit than larger groups.

B. Ask for questions before moving from one part of the tour/class to another. The questions asked by children and adults alike may help you cover a topic that you or other personnel have missed.

C. Once the tour/class is finished but the group(s) has not been dismissed, please review their visit and the topics covered. This helps reinforce the fire district's image, the fire prevention message and any career thoughts your visitors may have.

III. Safety Zone.

A. The person responsible for conducting the tour (Incident Commander) shall establish a Safety Zone where all the visitors, adults and children are to report to when an emergency dispatch is received. This helps provide a margin of safety for the apparatus operator when he or she moves the apparatus.

B. The apparatus operator must still thoroughly check to make sure that all visitors are away from the apparatus before it is moved.

IV. Report.

A. A simple report with group name, contact person, topics covered, head count of visitors (adults & children), children age level or grade level, time taken to give the tour/class and the personnel involved with the tour/class must be filled out and given to fire prevention for record keeping and statistics.

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