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The Paris Independent 7 October 8, 2022

F I R E P R E V E N T I O N W E E K Fire won’t wait, plan your escape!

By Casandra Turnbull

Prevention, detection and escape. That’s the mantra Fire Prevention Officers use to education people on the dangers of fire. How they deliver that message has varied over the last 100 years, but one thing’s remained certain, continuous education does save lives. October 9 – 15 is Fire Prevention Week and this year is a milestone year as 2022 marks the 100th anniversary of Fire Prevention. This year’s campaign is titled ‘Fire won’t wait. Plan your escape. ’ During this week, Fire Departments across the continent host events to educate the public on fire safety. The County of Brant Fire Department, Paris Station, is hosting an open house on October 15 from 10 am to 2 pm and the Burford Station will have an information booth at the Burford Fall Fair this weekend. Fire Prevention Officer Doug Kellam hopes to see a lot of families attend the local events as he is prepared to answer all questions. Interacting with the public and hearing kids talk about fire safety is affirmation he’s making a difference – and potentially saving lives. “We always love when kids recognize us in public and the parents thank us for inspiring their kids to check their homes for working smoke and carbon monoxide alarms and to plan and practice their home escape,” said Kellam. He’s been a member of the local fire department since 2006. When an opening came in 2009 to teach fire safety at the Children’s Safety Village, Kellam leapt at the opportunity and his passion only continued to grow. “It makes us proud when we are at events where we have students from other municipalities with ours, and we can tell the difference our fire safety education is making. ” Kellam, along with fellow Fire Prevention Officer Tom Waldschmidt, typically visit 5060 events each year from public events to open houses, summer camps and school visits.

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Homes today are burning faster than ever. It takes only two minutes for a fire to engulf your home. Click on the video to see how quickly a fire can spread.

Regardless of the audience the message is always the same, said Kellam, “We need to identify basic areas where we can make simple changes to stop fires from starting, ensure that we have at least the required smoke and carbon monoxide alarms in place, and ensuring that families practice a preplanned escape. ” Today’s homes burn faster than ever. It only takes a matter of minutes for a fire to engulf your home and for smoke to considerably limit your visibility. Your life depends heavily on working smoke alarms and a well executed escape plan. Kellam recalled one particular fire that had a safe outcome but could have been disastrous if it wasn’t for the quick-thinking family. “We once had a family who had to escape through a bedroom window onto a porch roof. The fire started in the living room at the bottom of the stairs and when the smoke alarms sounded, their scape downstairs had already been blocked. The quickthinking family got everyone out to the roof and the father got a ladder to get everyone down. This took less than two minutes, and their house was not survivable. One of the first things they said was how dark it was, how bad the smoke was and how quickly it happened. ” If you’d like to give your children a hands-on opportunity to learn more about fire safety, you can visit Sparky’s apartment at the Children’s Safety Village in Brantford. The Brantford Fire Department is also hosting an Open House, which will take place at Fire Station #2, located at 21 Fairview Drive, Brantford October 15, from 10 am until 2 pm. Activities will include bucket rides in an aerial ladder truck for a $20 donation in support of Food4Kids Brant-Haldimand. Fire Prevention Week is observed each year during the week of October 9th in commemoration of the Great Chicago Fire, which began on October 8, 1871 and caused devastating damage. This horrific fire killed more than 250 people, left 100,000 homeless, destroyed more than 17, 400 structures and burned more than 2,000 acres of land.

Escape Plan Tips

▪ Make sure your home escape plan meets the needs of all your family 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.