Sept. 22-28, 2025, is the International Week of #Deaf People. Did you know that specialized #SmokeAlarms are available with flashing lights and vibrations? If you or a loved one are Deaf or hard of hearing, please be sure you're protected by smoke alarms that account for your needs.

The recent warm, dry, breezy weather has been great for outdoor activity, but it also means outdoor fires will start and spread easily. As we head into the weekend, remember that open burning is currently prohibited and be extra careful with anything involving sparks, embers, or other heat sources.

Our 30th Annual Fire & Life Safety Education Conference got off to a great start today! Thanks to the DFS staff and Task Force members, and to all our attendees, workshop presenters, and special guests like CT Fire Marshal Lauri Volkert. Back tomorrow for Day Two!

Burn days at the Massachusetts Firefighting Academy are a chance for recruits to put their training to the test. Many of the skills they’ve practiced for weeks come into play, including establishing water supply, forcible entry, deploying ladders, hose handling, and – of course – fire suppression.

With below-average rainfall over the past three months, most of Massachusetts is in Level 2 - Significant Drought status. Outdoor fires will start and spread more easily. Let's work together to prevent a recurrence of last year's unprecedented fall fire season. Learn more: ow.ly/gJlk50WW9WZ

The DFS Special Operations team can deliver drones anywhere in Massachusetts at any time of day or night to stream HD and/or thermal footage directly to incident commanders. The feed can be viewed at a command post or in a DFS Incident Support Unit: ow.ly/5l3950WMJ78

DFS Special Operations staff delivered Rehab 6 to support the #MiddleboroughMA Fire Department and mutual aid at last week's tragic two-alarm fire. These and other Special Ops resources are always available to assist our local partners: ow.ly/W7lA50WQiCw

#TechRescue Tuesday: The Mass Fire Academy's Technical Rescue Program recently delivered its Rope Operations course for the Southeastern MA Technical Rescue Team. It was held at our Bridgewater campus, the focal point for the MFA's tech rescue training. Big thanks to our instructors & support staff!

Captain's Log, #Stardate 12509.08: Today is #StarTrekDay! If you want to live long and prosper, remember that #HomeFireSprinklers combined with working #SmokeAlarms reduce the risk of dying in a fire by 82%. Building or buying a home? Sprinklers are the logical choice!

Join us at Hopkinton Family Day for a side-by-side #HomeFireSprinkler demonstration! We're joining the Hopkinton Fire Department on September 13 to show the power of the #FastestWater to protect people, pets, property -- and the environment! See you next week!

That's not smog at the DFS Bridgewater campus -- it's smoke from the first "seasoning" fires in the new burn building. If you must escape conditions like these in a fire at home, remember to "Get Low and Go." Stay close to the floor, where the air is cleaner and cooler, and get out right away.

Be honest, if you had your own streetsweeper you'd cruise the block, too. #ShutdownWeek

Local & state investigators believe Monday morning's fatal fire was accidental and most likely started with smoking materials. They found no working #SmokeAlarms at the scene. Please be sure you and your loved ones are protected by working smoke alarms on every level of your home: ow.ly/3MWR50WPL6E

Nearly 50% of residential fires take place in apartment buildings and other multi-family homes. If you, a friend, or a family member just moved into a new apartment, look for two ways out of the unit and the building -- and each room, if possible. Plan your escape route before you need to use it!

DFS #Hazmat technicians recently supported Duxbury FD with a broken #Mercury barometer. Mercury is toxic! If you have a mercury spill at home, call 9-1-1 right away, open the windows for ventilation. Better yet, safely dispose of mercury products before they become a hazard: ow.ly/t8Fo50KVJkt

DFS Special Operations staff recently delivered Rehab 7 and a #Drone unit to support @rutlandmafire at a 4th alarm structure fire. Effective rehab promotes firefighter health and safety, while drones can provide real-time HD and thermal aerial imagery to assist incident commanders.

The Massachusetts Firefighting Academy's #SCBA Maze Trailer is on the move again! This prop helps new and veteran firefighters train for movement in dark and claustrophobic spaces while managing their breathing on SCBA. It's traveling to Chicopee next month and Marlborough in October.

The Massachusetts Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, DPH, and DFS collaborated on an Emergency Services Card to help #Firefighters, #EMS, and people who are #Deaf or #HardOfHearing communicate during an emergency. To learn more and download a hi-res PDF, visit ow.ly/bo0B50TvH7h!

Even with cooler temps and light rain recently, we've seen some stubborn brush fires that burn for days on end. These events require firefighters from across the region to extinguish. The DFS Special Ops team is always ready to support them, but please enjoy the outdoors responsibly this weekend!

Today is World #SeniorCitizens Day, honoring the older adults who connect us to our past and contribute to our future. Protect yourself and other seniors with working smoke and CO alarms, home escape plans that account for your needs, and a File of Life: ow.ly/9FIA50T1qta

DFS staff recently rehabbed our side-by-side sprinkler trailer after a demonstration. Furniture from the left chamber sustained minor damage; there's no furniture on the right because it was destroyed by fire. Properly installed and maintained sprinklers protect you & your home!

#TechRescue Tuesday: The Mass Fire Academy's Technical Rescue Group spent a day last week rehabbing the Trench Rescue Training Trailer. They inspected, cleaned, inventoried, and reconfigured equipment/storage and prepared to put some new training tools in service.

Entering a burning building is inherently dangerous -- and fire isn't the only hazard. At the Massachusetts Fire Academy, instructors train recruits on how to rescue a brother or sister firefighter who has fallen through a weakened floor. These recruits are using a handline, one of several methods.

If you, a friend, or a relative are looking for a new apartment for September, choose one that has working #SmokeAlarms and two ways out in an emergency. Thousands of young people are preparing to rent their first home away from home next month: let's help them live safely.

#CrashCourse: Massachusetts Firefighting Academy recruits get hands-on training in stabilizing a vehicle and using a variety of cutters, spreaders, rams, and hand tools for extricating occupants. Like all the skills they learn, these are taught by firefighters with years of real-world experience.

#LearningTheRopes: Ropes and knots can be used to secure a ladder to a railing, haul tools to a firefighter on an upper level, and much more. To use them safely, recruits at the Massachusetts Firefighting Academy receive hands-on instruction in these essential tools, their uses, and how to tie them.

#TechRescue Tuesday: In preparation for the fall semester, the Massachusetts Firefighting Academy's Technical Rescue Group recently emptied out the Water Rescue Training Trailer to inventory, inspect, clean, relabel, and/or replace the equipment used in our Water and Ice Rescue programs.

We get it, it's New England and we love our #IcedCoffee -- but if you're working, training, or playing outdoors today then remember that water is your best bet for staying hydrated. Avoid strenuous outdoor activity if possible, use that sunscreen, and dress in light clothing if you can.

151 years ago today, Henry S. Parmalee received a patent for the first automatic fire sprinkler head. Properly installed and maintained #HomeFireSprinklers remain the most effective way to protect people, pets, and property from fire until firefighters arrive. Learn more at homefiresprinkler.org!

Happy 81st birthday to the one and only Smokey Bear! Since 1944, Smokey's simple message of prevention has inspired people of all ages protect our forests & wildlands from fire. We join all our friends and colleagues in wishing this American icon a very #HappyBirthday. #OnlyYou

DFS Special Operations staff supported Hazmat techs, Westfield FD, and Westfield Regional Dispatch Center at a drill this week. An Incident Support Unit served as a dispatch center and #Drone pilots provided downrange surveillance for firefighters and technicians running their scenario.

District 1 #Hazmat technicians supported Orleans Fire-Rescue last week when a large, underground propane tank in a residential neighborhood developed a leak. The leak could not be remedied so the entire tank was bled out under careful and controlled conditions.

#OTD in 1949, #Smokejumper Joseph P. Sylvia of Plymouth MA suffered fatal injuries in the #MannGulchFire at Helena National Forest in Montana. He was one of 13 firefighters who made the ultimate sacrifice when a change in the wind led to a blow-up covering thousands of acres in just a few minutes.

DFS Special Operations staff delivered Rehab 6 to Joint Base Cape Cod this week to support the health and safety of #JBCC firefighters & mutual aid at the scene of a fire at a transfer station. DFS #Hazmat techs also responded to monitor air quality for hazards to first responders or the community.

Aug. 1 is World #LungCancer Day. Firefighters face a higher risk of developing #OccupationalCancer, including lung cancer, than the public they protect. DFS offers free Chest CT scans to help active and retired firefighters identify lung cancer & other health issues. Learn more at ow.ly/GUfK50SK691.

Today is #NationalInternDay! The EOPSS Internship Program has been visiting state public safety agencies this summer and recently spent the day here at DFS. From firefighter training to Hazmat, Special Ops, and a fire investigation demo with K9 Starsky, it was a great day on campus!

District 1 #Hazmat techs recently supported #MillisMA FD when a leaking package on a delivery truck injured one person and required mitigation. Working in the 90-degree heat, these techs are wearing Level B encapsulated suits for respiratory and splash protection.

#TechRescue Tuesday: The Fire Academy's Technical Rescue Group recently spent a scorching summer day rehabbing the Confined Space Training Trailer. They cleaned, replaced, and relabeled new and existing tools to support the course curriculum that we offer at fire departments across Massachusetts.

Safety First! These instructors and recruits are in the Search & Rescue prop at our Stow campus, where they're getting ready for ground ladder rescue training. The harnesses are part of a belay system that will protect their safety as fellow recruits outside "rescue" them from the upstairs window.

Today is World #DrowningPreventionDay. Drowning is the leading cause of death among children, and sadly several Massachusetts communities have endured these tragedies this year. Learn more about drowning prevention, especially among kids: ow.ly/y2KA50WuxJ5

As these photos show, a closed door can make a 900-degree difference in a fire at home. Everyone needs working #SmokeAlarms and a practiced home escape plan, but closing your door when you go to sleep can slow the spread of deadly smoke, flames, and #CarbonMonoxide. Learn more at closeyourdoor.org.

The worst of this week's heat is behind us, but as we plan out our weekend errands remember that temps in a car can become deadly to kids, pets, & vulnerable adults in minutes. Never leave kids, seniors, or pets unattended in a vehicle, not even with the window cracked, not even for "just a minute."

Firefighters are tactical athletes. The high-intensity, high-exertion nature of the job means that replenishing fluids is always important -- especially when there's a heat advisory in effect. Stay hydrated, take breaks when you can, and stick to the shade whenever possible!

Our hearts are with the City of Fall River and the families grieving after last night's terrible fire in an assisted living facility. Thank you to Fall River FD, PD, EMS, EMA, and others who undertook heroic efforts to rescue and treat occupants: ow.ly/GFew50Wp2kz

‪Per @massgovernor.bsky.social‬, July 6-12 is #Hurricane Awareness Week in Massachusetts. If you're planning to use or buy a generator for storm-related power outages, be sure to follow the manufacturer's safety instructions. Avoid fire, shock, & #CarbonMonoxide hazards: www.mass.gov/info-details...

How many DFS employees does it take to change a light bulb? (Don't answer that.) Facilities & Engineering staff recently got a boost from the Crib and Tower 1 as they installed LEDs in the lighting fixtures above the drill yard. They'll last longer, use less energy, and provide better visibility.

July 8 is International Paramedics Day, recognizing the depth and breadth of lifesaving work that these first responders perform every day. On #IPD2025, we join our colleagues around the globe to thank our #Paramedics for the difference they make.

Firefighters are tactical athletes. The high-intensity, high-exertion nature of the job means that replenishing fluids is always important -- especially when there's a heat advisory in effect. Stay hydrated, take breaks when you can, and call DFS #Rehab for large scale / long term events.

Thank you to all our public safety partners who promoted a safe and healthy 4th at yesterday's press conference. As Undersecretary Kwon and Deputy State Fire Marshal Fournier said, leave fireworks to the professionals! Per Boston EMS, stay hydrated and know the symptoms of heat-related illness!