It's that time of year again where needing to be fire smart is imperative in the case of an emergency. Fire prevention week is October 6 to 12 and this year's campaign highlights the importance of keeping you and your loved ones safe.
"The Office of the Fire Commissioner tells us that 30 per cent of fires in Canada and 67 per cent of all fire deaths happen in the place we feel safest - our homes," said Kaycee Madu, Municipal Affairs Minister.
With a constant list of to-do's on our minds, it may be on the back burner to have a fire escape plan. It is important to have one so if a crisis should arise, an exit plan will now be on the forefront of your mind. Having at least two ways out of every room and a path to the outside of your home or building is key. A muster point should also be included in your plan. Once you are outside call 911. It's also good to note that all members of the family should understand how to contact 911 and understand when to do so.
Home escapes plans are highly noted in this years fire prevention week. It's unfortunately something that most people have not taken into consideration.
"A couple years ago we were at the Cochrane trade show and I was asking people if they had home escape plans. I think out of about 100 people that I talked to maybe 20 had a home escape plan. So that's really low we're talking less than 20 per cent of residents in Cochrane don't have a home escape plan. I'd like to see that number up past 80 per cent," explains Jeff Avery inspector with Cochrane Fire Services.
It is no surprise how quickly a fire can get out of control. We have all seen the horrifying videos of a Christmas tree catching on fire and engulfing a room in mere seconds. Avery says usually in the day time we are faced with visual emergencies so we should try to evacuate our homes in less than one minute. He adds that in the evening we are faced with audible emergencies so aim at evacuating your home in under two minutes.
Avery goes on to say that some preventative measures Cochranites can take is checking cleanliness of appliances, making sure dryers are lint free, and making sure fire places and furnaces are clean leading up to the winter months.
Some common causes of house fires include: cooking, heating, electrical, smoking and candles. You can reduce the risk by unplugging small appliances if you are not using them, staying in the kitchen while you cook, blowing out candles before you leave a room or go to bed and checking to see that electrical cords are not damaged.And while smoking materials are the leading cause of fire deaths, always make sure you never leave your cigarette unattended, never discard smoking materials on the ground and always wet cigarettes and matches before putting them into the garbage.
Another thing to remember is to ensure your smoke alarms are working on every level of your home, testing them at least once a month and replacing alarms that are more than 10 years old.
So during fire prevention week, do your research and educate yourself on the simple things you can do to protect your home. Minister of municipal affairs, Madu said it best, "We are grateful for the heroic acts of our first responders. Yet it is up to all of us to take measures that can protect our homes and our loved ones."
