Fire academy students work with Fayetteville Fire Department to protect homes from kitchen fires

By Staff Report, posted May 21, 2025 on BizFayetteville.com

FFD team member and E.E. Smith High School Fire Academy student installs stovetop fire suppressors.
Photo provided by: City of Fayetteville.

Over the past 4 weeks, the Fayetteville Fire Department (FFD) has partnered with students from the E.E. Smith High School Fire Academy to distribute automatic, stovetop fire suppressors and smoke detectors to homes across the city.

“As kitchen fires remain the number one cause of home fires in the United States, stovetop fire suppression systems have become increasingly popular and are proving to be very effective in reducing the damage caused by kitchen fires in recent years,” Fayetteville Fire Captain Stephen Shakeshaft said in a press release.

Stovetop fire suppressors are magnet-mounted canisters that are placed over the stove in residential homes. Upon contact with an open flame, the canister activates and deploys an extinguishing agent directly over the fire.

The cost of the fire suppressors has limited FFD’s ability to distribute them to residents.

FFD team member explains the stovetop fire suppressors to an E.E. Smith High School Fire Academy student.
Photo provided by: City of Fayetteville.

In response to kitchen fires and FFD's limited supplies of suppressors, the Economic and Community Development department purchased 468 stovetop fire suppressors using Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds.

Households were selected by analyzing 911 call data to pinpoint areas of risk within the city, then overlaying that information with maps of U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development-approved neighborhoods.

This initiative supports the city’s goal of creating safe and secure communities, ensuring residents are prepared for emergency and disaster response.

The Fire Academy at E. E. Smith High School is a program that prepares students for a rewarding career as a firefighter by providing them with an understanding of managerial and various issues pertaining to fire and emergency services. This program is in partnership with Cumberland County Schools, the city's Fire Department, Fayetteville Technical Community College, and Fayetteville State University.

See the City of Fayetteville’s Fay News video segment here.

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