Insurance Commissioner and State Fire Marshal Mike Causey plans to visit our area on Tuesday, March 30. One of his stops is New Bern Fire-Rescue Headquarters at 1401 Neuse Boulevard for a special recognition of staff for life-saving actions during a boarding house fire earlier this year. Mr. Causey’s visit is scheduled for 1:30 p.m.
On Monday, January 11th at approximately 6:20 a.m., a 9-1-1 call came in reporting a fire at 705 Broad Street in downtown New Bern. When firefighters arrived, they discovered the address was a boarding house with five tenants, four of whom were home at the time. Three safely evacuated, but one who was trapped inside died. Fire inspectors determined the cause of the fire was misuse of cooking equipment.
“Working smoke detectors – properly installed and maintained – are the simplest way to increase safety and help save lives,” said Fire-Rescue Chief Bobby Boyd. “The smell of smoke doesn’t always wake you up, and in this case required smoke detectors were able to alert the tenants to get out and call 9-1-1. I am thankful to my staff for their response to this incident and for their ongoing efforts to teach our community about fire safety. We are honored to have State Fire Marshal Causey here to recognize them.”
In addition to the special recognition, State Fire Marshal Causey will also sit in on a Child Passenger Safety (CPS) class at New Bern Fire-Rescue. Staff will learn how to install child safety seats and will be Certified CPS Technicians at the conclusion of the class. Three New Bern Fire-Rescue staff will be participating. The national Child Passenger Safety Technician certification combines classroom instruction, hands-on work installing child safety seats, and a community safety seat checkup event. The checkup event is scheduled for 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Friday, April 2nd at New Bern Fire-Rescue Headquarters located at 1401 Neuse Boulevard. Checkups will be available by appointment only due to state safety guidelines regarding the coronavirus. Parents and guardians who would like assistance installing or checking their child safety seats are advised to call 252-639-2931 to make an appointment.
Insurance Commissioner and State Fire Marshal Causey also plans to meet with local building inspectors during his visit to Craven County and make stops at No. 7 Township Fire Department and No. 9 Township Fire Department.
By Colleen Roberts, Public Information Officer, City of New Bern