Fire department Fire Prevention Week
By RDKB
Kootenay Boundary Regional Fire Rescue is celebrating the 100th anniversary of Fire Prevention Week (FPW), October 9-15, 2022. This year’s campaign, “Fire won’t wait. Plan your escape”, works to educate everyone about simple but important actions they can take to keep themselves and those around them safe from home fires.
“Today’s homes burn faster than ever. You may have as little as two minutes (or even less time) to safely escape a home fire from the time the smoke alarm sounds. Your ability to get out during a fire depends on early warning from working smoke alarms and advanced planning,” said Fire Chief Dan Derby.
Smoke alarms sense smoke well before you can, alerting you to danger. Smoke alarms need to be in every bedroom, outside of the sleeping areas (like a hallway), and on each level (including the basement) of your home. Do not put smoke alarms in your kitchen or bathrooms.
“It’s important for everyone to plan and practice a home fire escape. Everyone needs to be prepared in advance, so that they know what to do when the smoke alarm sounds. Given that every home is different, every home fire escape plan will also be different. Have a plan for everyone in the home. Children, older adults, and people with disabilities may need assistance to wake up and get out. Make sure that someone will help them.” said Fire Prevention Captain Jason Milne.
For the best protection, we recommend using combination smoke and carbon monoxide alarms that are interconnected throughout the home. These can be installed by a qualified electrician, so that when one sounds, they all sound. This ensures you can hear the alarm no matter where in your home the alarm originates.
Kootenay Boundary Regional Fire Rescue wants to share these key home fire escape planning tips:
. Make sure your home fire escape plan meets the needs of all your household members, including those with sensory or physical disabilities.
. Smoke alarms should be installed inside every sleeping room, outside each separate sleeping area, and on every level of your home. Smoke alarms should be interconnected so when one sounds, they all sound.
. Know at least two ways out of every room, if possible. Make sure all doors and windows open easily.
. Have an outside meeting place a safe distance from your home where everyone should meet.
. Practice your home fire drill at least twice a year with everyone in the household, including guests. Practice at least once during the day and at night.
When checking your smoke alarms, the fire department recommends also checking your Carbon Monoxide alarms if they are separate. Picking one day each month is a great way for getting into a routine.
Reminder: Smoke and Carbon Monoxide alarms don’t last forever. They should be replaced every 10 years, and the batteries every year, or according to the manufacturers’ recommendations. If you have a broken or expired smoke or carbon monoxide alarm, replace it, or drop your old one off at the Trail Fire Station and we can replace it for free.
