The following regulations are sanctioned in the Davenport Municipal Code Chapter 15.32.030.

Prohibited Contents: No person shall have an open fire containing leaves, grass, garbage, building materials, business waste, or any other prohibited materials.

Definitions:

Open Fire: Open Fire means any burning of combustible materials where smoke is released into the open air without a chimney. Recreational fires and cooking fires are not open fires.

Recreational Fire: Recreational fire means the burning of wood for pleasure or cooking, either contained or uncontained, as long as the total fire area is less than 8 feet in diameter and 4 feet in height, and at least 25 feet from the nearest structure or combustible material.

Wood: Wood means the trunk, logs, and branches of a tree with bark. It does not include leaves, grass, stumps, roots, or wood products such as lumber.

Exceptions to Open Fires:

1. Open burning of wood as defined
2. Recreational fires for burning wood as defined
3. Agricultural fields may be burned for the maintenance of native grass and controlling natural growth along fence rows and drainage ditches. This type of burning may only be done in areas zoned for agricultural use and only if the primary use is agricultural.

Regulations to Open Fires:

1. Prohibited on public property: No person shall burn a fire in any manner on streets, alleys, sidewalks, boulevards, bridges, and other public property.

2. Attending the fire is required: A competent person with a garden hose connected to a water supply or an approved fire extinguisher readily available to control the fire shall continuously attend all open fires and recreational fires.

3. Distance from structures: Open fires must be at least 50 ft. from any structure or combustible material.

4. Hours: Open burning can occur between sunrise and sunset as long as the fire is extinguished at sunset.

5. Burn days: Burning wood on private property is prohibited unless the Fire Department has declared a "burn day."

6. Nuisance fires: You may be required to extinguish any open fire if it is determined to be causing dense smoke or constitutes a hazardous condition to life or property.

7. Hazardous conditions: When atmospheric conditions such as high winds make burning hazardous, open fires will be prohibited.

8. Burning to clear land: No person shall burn refuse, wood, trees, brush, or similar organic growth for the purpose of clearing land for development.

The burn/no burn line is: (563-326-7904).
Any additional questions can be directed to the Fire Department: (563-326-7906)

The Davenport Fire Department sponsors a car seat checkup event on the 4th Saturday of every month at Central Fire Station located at 331 Scott Street in Davenport. This event runs from March through October of each year and is from 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM. For further information, please call (563) 326-7907. Click here for the 2024 Schedule. 

As a reference, we have added the current National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) guidelines regarding child passenger safety.

CHILD SAFETY SEAT USE

If you would like a firefighter to instruct you on proper car seat installation, please click here to request assistance.

The Explorer Program is offered to the City's teenagers who are our next generation of firefighter personnel. The program provides training and education for students interested in the Davenport Fire Department. It follows the school year and includes monthly meetings with topics ranging from station tours, dispatching, and hands-on fire extinguisher training. Many former Explorers now work in the fire service or have fire responder roles within the community.

Interested individuals must have completed the 8th grade and be between the ages of 14 and 20.

Click here to register for the Explorer program electronically

Contact the Fire Prevention Bureau at 563-326-7907 for more information.

The Davenport Fire Department is providing a life-saving resource that is now available to all Davenport residents. The File of Life is a medical form stored in a magnetized pouch that gives first responders access to a patient’s medical history in the event of an emergency. The form includes information about a patient’s allergies, medications, contact persons, and more. 

People who are at an increased risk for a medical emergency, such as seniors or those with special needs, are encouraged to maintain a File of Life. The File of Life should be stored on the refrigerator for quick access.

The File of Life card and pouch are available at no cost to all Davenport residents. To request one, please click here or contact 563.326.7906 for more information.

The Hazardous Materials Program focuses on protecting our emergency responders through training, equipment, and computerized information on the types of hazardous materials stored in your business. This allows the Emergency Responders to protect you, your business, the citizens, and the environment when an accident involving hazardous materials occurs.

There are three facets of the program, which include inspecting, planning, and training. The emphasis on the program in on prevention rather than mitigation.

Inspections:

An inspection of your business by the Hazardous Materials Officer will allow the Davenport Fire Department to advise you on Federal, State, and Local reporting requirements. It will also point out any potentially dangerous storage practices and allow the Davenport Fire Department to collect vital information regarding the hazardous materials.

Planning:

When the vital information of your business’s hazardous materials is gathered, it will allow the Davenport Fire Department to input the information into our response data programs. These response programs assist the emergency responders in preparing accurate pre-plans and implementing accurate strategic and tactical responses in the event there is a hazardous materials emergency.

Training:

Training and equipping for a Hazardous Materials Program is costly. Since it is well beyond the scope of normal fire department operations, all Hazardous Materials personnel have to meet annual medical requirements and training requirements as outlined in Federal regulations.

Fee Structure:

The method chosen by the City of Davenport to fund this program is a fee structure based on the total quantities of hazardous materials and the degree of hazard that these materials present. This method is a common program used across the country because it distributes the cost to the businesses that create the risk during an emergency response.

After a fee has been determined and paid, the Hazardous Materials Permit is issued in a similar way as a Business License. Billing for these permits will be mailed around the first day of May and shall be due payable the first day of June.

If you have any questions regarding the hazardous materials program or have concerns of any stored quantities of hazardous materials in your business, please call the Hazardous Materials Officer at 563-326-7905

According to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), one-third of all home fire deaths occur in homes without smoke alarms, and 24% of fire deaths occur in homes where a smoke alarm was present but did not operate correctly. As a continuation of the State Fire Marshal's "100 Years, 100 Percent" Smoke Alarm Project, the Davenport Fire Department wants to ensure that smoke alarms are installed in all homes in the City of Davenport. The Davenport Fire Department collaborates with American Red cross to achieve our goal of providing a safe community.

1.) Live in the City of Davenport
2.) Be willing to let the DFD or its representative install the smoke alarm
3.) You must be a homeowner and living in that home (not a rental property)

Click here to submit a smoke detector request electronically

For more information, call (563) 326-7907.