Fire Prevention Week 2017

To celebrate Fire Prevention Week, The Peace River Fire Department and the County of Northern Lights Fire Services will be holding an Open House at Fire Hall #1 in downtown Peace River (10018 100 Ave) on October 14th from 9:00 am to 2:00 pm. The event will include a Pancake Breakfast, Truck and Equipment Displays, Fire Extinguisher Demonstrations, Interactive Hazard House and Sparky the Fire Dog as well as Fire Safety information

Back row Left to Right: Fire Chief Tim Harris, Captain Robin Differenz, Probationary Firefighter Manuel Gomez, Firefighter Graham Smyth, Probationary Firefighter Matt Steeves, Junior Firefighter Megan Peterson, Firefighter Philip Rough, Captain Kendal Russell, Firefighter Jesse Kasouf, Firefighter Dane Cruickshank, Probationary Firefighter Aditya Batra, Lieutenant Patrick Connellan, Firefighter Drew Keddie, Firefighter Sabbir Zahed. Front row Left to Right: Junior Firefighter Riley Watchorn, Firefighter Nolan Keddie, Firefighter Cheryl Rogers, Firefighter Danyel King, Probationary Firefighter Ray Chen, Firefighter Tim Berger, Probationary Firefighter Maria Wieler, Firefighter Elysia Pan, Corinne Szmata*. Missing from Photo: Captain Mike Frayne, Captain Mike Kinshella, Lieutenant James Martin, Lieutenant John Hayes, Lieutenant Martin Cooper. Firefighters; Matt Bolduc, Rhianna Differenz, Justin Dollard, Arsalan Hamidi, Kevin Hansen, Leopold Higgins, Ben Hunt, Dillon Jackson, Rolland Jean, Bryn Keddie, Jonah Kurylowich, Angela Makrakos, Travis Mitten, Trevor Routledge, Michael Russell, Nathan Sasseville, Dale Shewchuk. Probationary Firefighters; Dave Chiasson, Richard Vander Klok. *Corinne Szmata is a local resident who is helping the Firefighters promote their upcoming 24-hour Rooftop Campout to raise funds and awareness for Muscular Dystrophy. The event goes October 27/28 at the Tim Hortons in Peace River.

Every Second Counts

Consider this scenario: It’s 2 o’clock in the morning. You and your family are fast asleep when you awaken to the smoke alarm sounding and the smell of smoke. What do you do? If you and your family don’t have a plan in place, it could jeopardize your safety, or even prove deadly.

In a typical home fire, you may have as little as one to two minutes to escape safely from the time the smoke alarm sounds. That’s why home escape planning is so critical in a fire situation. It ensures that everyone in the household knows how to use that small window of time wisely.

“Developing and practicing a home escape plan is like building muscle memory,” said Tim Harris, Fire Chief for Peace River and Regional Fire Chief of the County of Northern Lights. “That pre-planning is what everyone will draw upon to snap into action and escape as quickly as possible in the event of a fire.”

This year’s Fire Prevention Week theme, “Every Second Counts: Plan 2 Ways Out!” works to better educate the public about the critical importance of developing a home escape plan and practicing it. The Peace River Fire Department and the County of Northern Lights Fire Services is working in coordination with the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), the official sponsor of the Fire Prevention Week for more than 90 years, to reinforce those potentially life-saving messages. Fire Prevention Week is October 8-14, 2017.

“Home escape planning is one of the most basic but fundamental elements of home fire safety, and can truly make the difference between life and death in a fire situation,” said Lorraine Carli, NFPA’s vice president of Outreach and Advocacy.

In support of Fire Prevention Week, Chief Harris encourages all households to develop a plan together and practice it. A home escape plan includes working smoke alarms on every level of the home, in every bedroom, and near all sleeping areas. It also includes two ways out of every room, usually a door and a window, with a clear path to an outside meeting place (like a tree, light pole, or mailbox) that’s a safe distance from the home.

NFPA and the Peace Region Fire Departments offer these additional tips and recommendations for developing and practicing a home escape plan:

  • Draw a map of your home with all members of your household, marking two exits from each room and a path to the outside from each exit.
  • Practice your home fire drill twice a year. Conduct one at night and one during the day with everyone in your home, and practice using different ways out.
  • Teach children how to escape on their own in case you can’t help them.
  • Make sure the number of your home is clearly marked and easy for the fire department to find.
  • Close doors behind you as you leave — this may slow the spread of smoke, heat, and fire.
  • Once you get outside, stay outside. Never go back inside a burning building.

To learn more about this year’s Fire Prevention Week campaign, “Every Second Counts: Plan 2 Ways Out” and home escape planning, visit nfpa.org/fpw.