Web Site Accessibility

The World Wide Web (WWW) makes it possible for individuals to interact as never before. It is a tremendous resource for accessing information, especially with government web sites. However, the form and format of information on a web site can either help or hinder access for people, especially so for those with disabilities. It is very important to present information in a manner that ensures access by a diverse audience.

Accessibilty Features of This Web Site

Site Features

• Consistent navigation
• Scalable text
• Clearly labelled graphics
• No flickering, strobing or animated graphics
• Cross browser compatible

Text Size

This site uses only relative font sizes. It is compatible with the user-specified text size option in visual browsers.

• Internet Explorer Users - The text size can be changed in Internet Explorer through the View » Text Size menu.
• Mozilla / Firefox Users - The text size can be changed in Mozilla/Firefox, through the View » Text Zoom menu. There are additional key combinations which may also be used, including <CTRL> + to increase text size, <CTRL> - to decrease text size, and <CTRL> 0 to return the text size back to its default setting.

Bear in mind there are limitations with this web design which are out of our control.

Alt Text

All images that are used to illustrate content include the alt attribute to provide descriptive text alternatives.

Link Titles

A title attribute has been added to links which describe the link in greater detail. All web site main navigation links utilize the title attribute. For content links, if the text of the link provides a clear explanation of the 'target' then the title attribute has not been used.

Foreign Language Translation

This web site is experimenting with a free, external translation service. At the top right of each page are eight flags representing eight different languages. By selecting and then clicking on any one of the flags, the specific web page you are viewing will be translated into that language. Since this is a free, external translation service, please do not assume the translation provided will be 100 percent accurate.

The following languages are available:

• - Francais / French
• - Deutsch / German
• - Espanol / Spanish
• - Italiano / Italian
• - Portugese / Portugese
• - Nihon / Janpanese
• - Korean
• - English / American

Javascript

The site currently uses JavaScript.

Downloadable Documents, Files & Maps

While the goal is to provide accessible information all the time, the very nature of emergency fire information does not always make this possible.

If you find that a downloadable document does not meet Section 508 accessibility requirements, please contact us so that we may put you in touch with the content owner who will provide you with an accessible and/or alternate version of the content.

Web Standards

This site uses cascading style sheets for visual layout and is designed to W3C standards. The XHTML and CSS is valid and the site has been built according to the W3C's Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 1.0 (WCAG) level AAA. The WCAG 1.0 accessibility standard is broader and more comprehensive than the required Section 508 accessibility standard.

Browser Compatibility

This sites is built and tested using Mozilla Firefox, Netscape, Opera, Safari, and Internet Explorer 6x. All pages on this site use structured semantic markup. If your browser or browsing device does not support modern coding techniques, the content of each page is still readable and is presented in a logical order.

Please Note: Any use of trade, product, or firm names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.