Fire Prevention Week is on now and the public is being asked to make sure smoke alarms in their homes are working.
The week runs from October 5 to 11 and this year’s theme is “Working smoke alarms save lives—test yours every month.”
The theme aims to educate on how smoke alarms save lives and why they should be installed and maintained in every home.
“We’ve done a really good job getting smoke alarms into homes, but just having one isn’t good enough,” said Tricia Greenwood, Powell River Fire Rescue public educator. “You have to make sure it works.”
It is estimated that over 60 per cent of home fire deaths occur in households without working smoke alarms. “Smoke alarms were there, but they did not have a battery or they were unplugged or expired,” she said.
Smoke alarms have only a 10-year lifespan and must be replaced. Smoke and poisonous gases, the leading cause of death in fires, can kill a person long before flames.
“We just want to remind people to check their smoke alarms and test them monthly to make sure they are working,” said Greenwood.
Powell River Fire Rescue has a smoke alarm program geared primarily for seniors but accessible to anyone in need.
“If you can’t afford smoke alarms, we have them free of charge,” she said. “For the elderly or those who can not get up on a ladder to check their alarm or change its battery we’ll come and do that as well.”
Residents interested in this service can call Powell River Fire Rescue (604.485.8647) to book an appointment.
Fire officials also urge residents to develop a home escape plan and practice it throughout the year. An escape plan should include everyone in the household knowing two ways out of each room and having an outdoor location in front of the home where everyone can meet after exiting the home.
This year the regional fire chiefs have partnered with Powell River and District United Way’s Success By 6 program to bring the ORCA (On the Road with Children’s Activities) Bus to the fire halls and give preschool-aged children the chance to sit inside a fire engine, meet firefighters and learn about fire safety.
“That for us is really important with the preschoolers,” said Greenwood. “It can be scary for them when they see a firefighter in full gear. We go through the process of someone in their normal dress putting on the clothes piece by piece, so they can see that it is just a person like their mom or dad, to alleviate fear.”
There will also be colouring books and toys to play with as well, she added.
The ORCA Bus visited Texada Island Gillies Bay Fire Hall on Friday, October 3, and Northside Volunteer Fire Department on Monday, October 6. It is at Malaspina Volunteer Fire Department (MVFD)’s Black Point fire hall today, Wednesday, October 8, and then at Powell River Fire Rescue’s Courtenay Street hall on Friday, October 10, with Sparky the Fire Dog, the official mascot of the National Fire Protection Association.
Visitors to the Black Point fire station will have been able to see MVFD’s two brand new water tenders built by Abbotsford’s Hub Fire Engines and Equipment, Ltd.
This summer MVFD retired its 33-year-old Ford Pumper truck built by Anderson Engineering and 30-year-old Ford Water Tender.
“In order to maintain MVFD’s semi-protected insurance grading certification, the Fire Underwriters Survey agency requires that water tenders be less than 30 years old,” said Dave Keiver, MVFD fire chief.
This certification is required in order for property owners within the fire protection area to receive favourable fire insurance premium costs, he said.
The pumper truck, as well as several hundred kilograms of equipment, were donated to Firefighters Without Borders Canada (FWBC), a registered charity whose members volunteer their time to deliver aid to countries that have a demonstrated need.
Aid takes the form of equipment, training and/or financial support to fire departments, emergency services organizations and firefighters.
Since 2008, 21 fire trucks and ambulances, as well as over 50 tonnes of used firefighting and medical equipment from fire departments in BC and across Canada, have been distributed to 10 countries through FWBC.
Further donations came from Powell River Fire Rescue and Tla’amin fire departments and included a fire hose, a bladder pond and turn-out gear such as pants, coats, helmets, boots and Personal Alert Safety Systems.
The donated truck will be refurbished and delivered to Barichara, a small rural village in Santander in northeastern Colombia.
Randy Dubbert, FWBC vice-president, travelled to the Colombian village with its colonial architecture, a UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) World Heritage Site, in 2013 to meet with Marco, Barichara’s fire chief. What he found there astounded him. The town’s fire station is constructed of corrugated tin and its fire engine is an improvised flat-bed truck with a large water tank mounted to its deck.
“Lastly Marco showed me the gear,” wrote Dubbert in his letter describing the visit, “a meagre selection of a few pairs of boots, several firefighter jackets and an assortment of picks and axes.”
Dubbert added that he has seen many fire departments throughout Central and South America, but Barichara’s was one of “the most tragic.”
“The men and women of the Barichara fire department are so limited by what they have and can do in an emergency or fire,” said Dubbert. “Even when they are faced with something like a major car accident on the nearby highways, the bomberos [firefighters] can only use the most basic tools to pry open vehicles and extract patients.”
Back in Canada, Dubbert worked with his organization to put together a 40-foot shipping container full of donated gear. He reported that a local business man from Barichara has stepped up to pay the shipping costs. “Now with a fire truck, donated by Malaspina, the town and surrounding countryside of Barichara will soon have the truck, tools and equipment to provide a high level of fire protection and care for those in need.”
Readers interested in finding out more about FWBC can visit the organization online.
