In early 1997, the Tampa Tribune reported that four children perished in their Ybor City, Fla., home during a fire. The account emphasized that neighbors could have rescued the victims if the windows hadn't been blocked by burglar bars. By the time the fire department arrived, it was too late.

The dangers of security devices such as burglar bars to residents and firefighters during emergency fire operations are fairly well known, but very few workable solutions have been offered. However, our department has devised a proactive plan to stop these preventable catastrophes before one occurred in our city. With such great success in our community, we felt it was vital to share our experience with other municipalities around the country.

Unlocking minds After reading about the Ybor City tragedy, we first had to identify if we had a problem and, if so, to what magnitude it affected our city. Our engine companies and rescue units surveyed their hydrant districts looking for security bars on residential structures. The addresses of nearly 200 such homes were forwarded to the fire marshal's office for review.

We then contacted local businesses that manufactured and installed security bars for information on the types of mechanisms available to open the bars from the inside. Two companies were willing to assist the city in the retrofitting effort at a reasonable cost to the property owners of $150-$200 per window.

Once we knew how widespread the burglar bars were and the relatively low cost of retrofitting them, we had a good idea of the positive impact our planned initiative would have on residents. This expectation provided us with a solid platform for program approval. A meeting was held with the fire chief and city manager to seek their support and guidance on our proposal. The city commissioners were also consulted and found to be in favor of the fire safety initiative.

During these meetings, questions were raised regarding the ability of some residents to pay for the retrofitting. This concern was addressed by locating an organization to help subsidize all or part of the cost for residents who couldn't afford to modify the bars. Wayne Denche Charities, a local organization that reviews many charity proposals, offered to pay for the retrofitting of 20 homes.

After the meeting with the city manager, the plan was discussed with the city attorney, who advised the fire department to first solicit voluntary compliance. She said that we should use the code enforcement board only as a last resort.

Once we were able to move forward, Saturdays and Sundays would find Fire Inspector Bill Jensen and me hand-delivering letters and personally outlining our concerns. Residents were advised of the dangers of security bars that couldn't be opened from inside without keys, tools or special knowledge. We obtained permission to check the bars and were invited into their homes for fire safety inspections.

We also took the opportunity to remind them of the importance of working smoke detectors in conjunction with home fire drills. Residents received copies of our city ordinance and Life Safety Code 21-2.2.1, requiring two separate means of escape from each sleeping area; fact sheets from the nfpa's Center for High-Risk Outreach; and a copy of the Tampa Tribune article that first prompted our initiative.

Anyone who wasn't at home was notified by mail. As you can imagine, since some of these bars were installed nearly 20 years ago, there was a lot of resistance to the program, despite our offering several options for property owners:

* Remove the bars;

* Retrofit the bars to be operable from the inside with a push button, foot pedal or other device;

* Remove padlocks from bars that had operable portions;

* Leave keys in the double-key dead bolts on others; or

* Install a security system in place of the bars.

An unexpected breakthrough After a year with little voluntary response, notification letters were sent warning people of the hazardous condition existing in their homes. This letter included copies of the city ordinance and life safety code, a list of contractors, and an expected date for compliance. Some residents complied immediately; others resisted and were served with a final notice and given a date to appear before the code enforcement board.

Around this time, with 70% of homes in compliance, a near-tragic fire in south Orlando brought our program into the spotlight. A family trapped inside their home by security bars nearly lost their lives. Fortunately, several neighbors were home and managed to pry the bars open from the outside.

We took this opportunity to contact the local tv stations and inform them of our program. Three newscasts did follow-up segments showing viewers correct burglar bar installation with mechanisms providing for emergency escape. This publicity allowed us to demonstrate the urgent need for retrofitting unsafe security bars and raised awareness of the burglar bar danger in our community. Videotapes of the broadcasts were used to convince the remaining residents to comply.

In the end, complete compliance was achieved within a two-year period, without one resident appearing before the code enforcement board. Our program could not have been successful without the cooperation and support of the city commission, city manager, city attorney and fire chief; the coverage by local tv stations and The Orlando Sentinel; and financial assistance from Wayne Denche Charities.

Once existing security bars had been brought up to code, a letter-writing campaign was directed from the Casselberry Fire Marshal's Office to alert local real estate agents and enlist their help in raising homeowner awareness. This letter prompted all brokers to take responsibility for informing future homeowners of the code requirements pertaining to burglar bars. We sent letters to the National Association of Realtors, Florida State Board of Realtors and the Greater Orlando Association of Realtors. In addition, an article about the program ran in the Realtor Report, a publication of the Greater Orlando Association of Realtors.

We also sent registered letters to central Florida security bar manufacturers and installers, apprising them of the gravity of the situation. In the letters, the fire department and City of Casselberry state that they will hold contractors responsible for the safe installation of all future security bars, as well as disallow waivers for any installation not in accordance with national fire safety codes.

The National Ornamental & Miscellaneous Metals Association's Standards Committee also sent out a bulletin to its members advising them of the code requirements for residential installations of security bars.

The program's success was due to careful planning in these areas:

* Surveying the impact to the city.

* Coordinating and gaining the full support of city officials.

* Raising awareness through the local media.

* Directly contacting residents and property owners.

* Researching affordable solutions from ornamental iron businesses.

* Soliciting financial aid from a philanthropic organization.

We offer our solutions to this potential danger to all interested parties who might benefit and ultimately save lives with our security bar awareness program. Although this undertaking wasn't an easy one, requiring a great deal of determination by all involved, our goal was ultimately accomplished within two years without using any public funds.