Adam Prudhomme
Editor
Early detection and knowing what to do when the alarm sounds are the two biggest factors that determine whether or not a person can escape a burning building.
That’s the message Greater Napanee Emergency Services’ fire department is sharing during this year’s Fire Prevention Week, which runs Oct. 9-15 with the theme ‘Fire won’t wait. Plan your escape.’
“The campaign is designed to educate residents on how little time you have to escape when a fire occurs,” said GNES fire prevention officer Dean Martin. “Homes and contents burn faster than ever. Sometimes you may have two minutes or less to escape, and that’s only if you have working smoke alarms. An early warning of a fire significantly increases your chance of safely escaping, coupled with advance planning of escape routes. As every home is different, every home needs to plan differently. Children, older people and people with disabilities may need assistance to wake up and get out.”
Martin says now is the time for families to devise an escape plan in the event of fire-and a back up plan if the main route is blocked by smoke or fire. This week also serves as a reminder for residents and landlords to ensure they have working smoke alarms on all levels of a residence and carbon monoxide detector outside of all sleeping areas. In the event of a fire, seconds count.
Martin says in his experience as a firefighter with GNES, most residents are aware of the requirements of having a smoke alarm, but still too many people don’t have enough or they aren’t in working order. Anyone with questions can contact Dmartin@GreaterNapanee.com.
To help commemorate Fire Prevention Week, GNES will be hosting an open house at all three of its stations-Napanee, Roblin and Dorland-on Oct. 15 from 12:30-2 p.m. The open house will include door prizes, demos and a chance to tour the hall and touch the fire trucks.
This year marks the 100th anniversary of National Fire Protection Association declaring the week of Oct. 9 to be Fire Prevent Week in honour of the great Chicago fire, which raged Oct. 8-10, 1871. The fire killed about 300 people and destroyed roughly 3.3 square miles of the city. Many of the lessons learned from the tragedy have been adapted over the years to ensure better public safety.