FAQs • St. Charles, MO • CivicEngage

I have heard that children may not hear smoke detectors while they are sleeping. Is this true?: Recent reports have shown that many times children do not hear smoke detectors whether their doors are open or closed. Studies have also shown that if children do wake up, even though they may have been taught what to do in case of fire, they freeze. The only way to ensure a proper response from your children is to set up and practice exit drills in the home. This would include setting off smoke alarms at night when children are sleeping as further practice. We recommend at least practicing your exit drill twice a year.

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Fire

Carbon monoxide alarms should be placed according to the manufacturers’ recommendation, much the same as a smoke detector. You should:

2. I have heard that children may not hear smoke detectors while they are sleeping. Is this true?: Recent reports have shown that many times children do not hear smoke detectors whether their doors are open or closed. Studies have also shown that if children do wake up, even though they may have been taught what to do in case of fire, they freeze. The only way to ensure a proper response from your children is to set up and practice exit drills in the home. This would include setting off smoke alarms at night when children are sleeping as further practice. We recommend at least practicing your exit drill twice a year.

3. My son came home from school today and said that we should be sleeping with our doors shut because it could give us an extra 15 minutes to escape if there is a fire. Is this true?: Sleeping with your door shut can give you up to an extra 15 minutes to escape a house fire. Having the door closed helps keep the smoke out of the bedroom and acts as a short term barrier to the fire. In a fire situation, if you cannot get out the door, go to the window and yell to attract attention. Stuffing sheets, towels, clothing, etc. to block the gap between the bottom edge of the door and the floor will also help.

4. Where can I get information about home fire sprinkler systems?: You can get information about home fire sprinkler systems at the Fire Safe Home website.

Fire trucks respond for a number of reasons:

The St. Charles Fire Department staffs each fire apparatus with at least 1 paramedic and advanced life support equipment. Many times these fire apparatus are the closest units to the call.
The dispatch center in St. Charles County uses an Emergency Medical Dispatch protocol to assign calls. Depending on the severity assigned, a fire truck is sent because the medically trained crew can provide needed assistance to the 2 paramedics on the ambulance. No one truly knows how severe the call really is until they arrive on the scene. For your safety, we work from a premise that it’s better to be safe and send apparatus than sorry that we don’t have the man power on scene to take care of you.
Man power is another reason fire trucks respond. Many patients are in locations or are of such a size that 2 people cannot get the patient to the ambulance. The stretcher alone weighs 90 pounds. This is a concern for the safety of fire/rescue crews as well as the patient.
Having fire trucks respond to minor calls for help that do not require transport to a hospital allow ambulances to remain available for more severe calls that require transport.

6. Why do I, as a city resident, pay for medical transport?: All tax supported ambulance services charge nominal fees to cover the cost of equipment that taxes can not cover. Medicines, advanced medical equipment, stretchers, medical liability insurance, and training are all very expensive. Therefore, the fire department charges your insurance company a fee for transport. The fee charged by the St. Charles City Fire Department is less than the other agency in the county.

7. How much does the fire department cost me in taxes each year?: The St. Charles Fire Department, which provides emergency medical services to our citizens, is paid for out of your $0.97 per $100 of assessed valuation general fund tax. On average, the 4 other major municipalities in St. Charles County pay $1.53 per $100 of assessed valuation. The fire districts that service those communities do not provide advanced emergency medical services like the St. Charles City Fire Department. So, the citizens of St. Charles actually pay $0.56 per $100 of assessed valuation less for more services.

8. What is the difference between a fire department and a fire district?: Fire departments are funded by the general fund revenue of a city and are a department of that city. They are over seen by the same municipal council that over sees all city departments. Districts are special taxing agencies that service 1 or more municipalities and unincorporated county areas. They are over seen by a specially elected board. They are not accountable to any municipality our county government agency.

9. Is the St. Charles Fire Department a department or a district?: The St. Charles Fire Department is a municipal department.

10. Why do firefighters perform fire prevention inspections of commercial occupancies?: Business inspections are performed in an effort to cut down on the loss of life and property within the city. Additionally, inspections give firefighters an opportunity to become familiar with buildings in their areas before they respond to one for an emergency.

11. What do firefighters do when they are not fighting a fire?: When not fighting fires, firefighters have fire and rescue training, emergency medical services training, hydrant testing, fire hose tests, business inspections, station tours, community presentations and displays, and station maintenance to name a few things.

12. Will the fire department provide a fire safety or disaster preparedness presentation to my business?: Yes, contact 636-949-3250 for information or to schedule a presentation.

13. Do firefighters rescue cats stuck in trees?: No, because cats are not stuck and do not need to be rescued, they will come down when they’re hungry.

14. Which way should I move if an emergency vehicle is approaching?: When an emergency vehicle is approaching, move your vehicle to the right of the road.

15. Is a storm warning siren meant to be heard from inside my home?: No, storm warning sirens are for outdoor notification. We recommend all homes have a NOAA weather radio for alerting in their home.