WESTLOCK – The message for the 100th anniversary of Fire Prevention Week, which runs this year Oct. 9-15, is simple: “Fire won’t wait. Plan your escape.”
Town of Westlock fire chief Stuart Koflick and Westlock County protective services manager John Biro hope all residents take that message to heart and will spare a few extra minutes this week to not only plan an escape route from their home or business, but make sure their fire and carbon dioxide detectors are properly installed and working. Experts recommend smoke alarms inside every sleeping room, outside each separate sleeping area, and on every level of a home — smoke alarms should also be interconnected so when one sounds, they all do.
Biro said when there’s an emergency, people aren’t always thinking clearly, or in many cases, have been sleeping, so the plan must be second nature. Both men recommend having an outside meeting place a safe distance from your home where everyone can meet and to practice the fire drill at least twice a year, in the day and the night.
“It’s just to know who’s doing what, where do you go and how you get there and what you’re supposed to do afterwards. Everyone knows to call 911, but there’s been cases when there’s been an emergency and people end up dialing 780-911 because they’re not thinking straight. Really, practice makes perfect, so have a plan,” said Biro, adding them when you’re sleeping you lose all sense of smell.
“And make sure your smoke alarms and carbon dioxide detectors are installed and maintained correctly so that should something happen in your house they will alert you to that situation and then you have a plan that’s been developed and practiced beforehand so you can evacuate,” added Koflick.
In a release, National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) vice-president of outreach and advocacy Lorraine Carli noted that today’s homes burn faster than ever, and people may have as little as two minutes (or even less) to safely escape a home fire from the time the smoke alarm sounds. Both men concurred, with Koflick saying the need to build “quicker, lighter and bigger” with composite materials has impacted the resilience of homes.
“The goal of our fire service is to be on scene within 10 minutes, 80 per cent of the time and that takes into account from the time we’re dispatched, to when we’re on scene. But how long has the fire burning before and how much did the fire grow in size when the call was being made?” said Koflick, noting most fires double in size every couple of minutes.
Both men agreed that getting out fire prevention messages to kids remains as important as ever, with Koflick calling them the “pipeline” to the parents.
“The pipeline to the parents is definitely through the kids. If we educate the kids, they take it back to their parents and I think we get a lot more success in a number of different directions,” said Koflick.
“A lot of the times due to the education we’ve done, the kids know more than what the parents,” added Biro.
Regarding planning, the NFPA advises to remove clutter in hallways, stairways, and near exits and windows for a clear, safe path out of your home and to always keep your eyeglasses, mobile phone, and a flashlight within reach.
For seniors or people with disabilities, keep your walker, scooter, cane, or wheelchair close to where you sleep so you can reach it quickly.
If you cannot escape safely, keep your door shut, place a towel or blanket at the bottom of the door and stand near the window and call 911 and let them know you are inside.
If you are deaf, hearing impaired, or have trouble hearing, install a bedside alert such as a bed-shaker alarm that works with your smoke alarm to alert you of a fire. Strobe light alarms can be added as a visual alert. For people who are visually impaired or blind, the sound of the smoke alarm can be disorienting in an emergency, so practice the escape plan with the sound of the alarm to become accustomed. And for people with cognitive disabilities, family or their healthcare providers should work with local fire department officials to craft a plan that works for their needs.
Since 1922, the NFPA has sponsored the public observance of Fire Prevention Week. In 1925, U.S. president Calvin Coolidge proclaimed Fire Prevention Week a national observance, making it the longest-running public health observance in the United States. During Fire Prevention Week, children, adults, and teachers learn how to stay safe in case of a fire. Firefighters provide lifesaving public education in an effort to drastically decrease casualties caused by fires.
Fire Prevention Week is observed each year during the week of Oct. 9 in commemoration of the Great Chicago Fire, which began on Oct. 8, 1871, and killed more than 250 people, left 100,000 homeless, destroyed more than 17,400 structures, and burned more than 2,000 acres of land.
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