SF: Structural Fire Prevention Stories - Fire (U.S. National Park Service)

Interior old log cabin with construction materials lying around. — Fire suppression systems are carefully added to historical sites like the Knob Creek Tavern at the Abraham Lincoln Birthplace.
NPS

The National Park Service is the nation's steward for thousands of structures. Many of the structures are national icons such as the Statue of Liberty and Independence Hall. All of the NPS structures together comprise the largest system of museums in the world holding more than 100 million objects, artifacts, and archives. Other structures which may or may not be historically significant include hotels, cabins, visitor centers, museums, offices, buildings used by concessions, marinas, gas stations, and more.

The safety of our visitors, guests, and staff is our number one priority. Some historic NPS buildings have been retrofitted for fire and life safety. This is carefully planned to meet safety codes and standards while preserving the historic materials and character.

While visiting or staying overnight in a national park facility, fire safety may not be in the forefront of your mind. While you’re exploring the park and occupying park structures, keep a few easy tips in mind to help keep safe in the event of a fire emergency. These work for any place you visit and can be applied at your home.

Know your escape routes.
- Have a plan and exercise your escape plan.
- Know your surroundings and follow the exit signs.
Know how to call for help.
- Many parks and other remote locations have areas where there is no cell signal. Consider what you would do if you had an emergency in one of these areas.
- Be ready with vital information when you make the call.
Check your smoke detector and replace your battery.
- It is recommended to do this when the time changes or mark a calendar for every 6 months.
Smoke only in designated areas while visiting parks and properly discard smoking materials. This includes use of e-cigarettes or vapes.
Evacuate when instructed or when an alarm sounds.
- Follow directions given by staff or volunteers.
- Don’t use the elevators during a fire emergency.
- If you need assistance, please let park rangers know ahead of time and what assistance you may need. Check out these fire safety tips for people with disabilities.

Learn what NPS staff are doing to update facilities to codes and standards, how and when audits are conducted and what inspections are done to help keep you safe. Meet the people of fire prevention, learn how the structural fire intern program is helping to keep parks up to code, learn about firefighting and fire prevention successes, and new research into structural fire prevention.