SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
It's never too late for a refresher on fire safety. At least that's what the city's new deputy fire chief wants the public to know.

Deputy Fire Chief Darren Kuhn gives a presentation to seniors at the Baker Centre on Wednesday to demonstrate how fire seeks oxygen to survive. Here Kuhn demonstrates how fire consumes oxygen as the candles covered with water vases created a vacuum strong enough to suck up surrounding fluids. - Kirsten Fenn/NNSL photo

"It really needs to be addressed on all levels, from kids to seniors," said Darren Kuhn, who arrived in Yellowknife from Edmonton three weeks ago to take on the job. "After time, we start to forget what the right way was and we just get complacent."

Kuhn was at the Baker Centre on Wednesday to teach fire safety tips and ways to prevent hazards to seniors.

Little things, such as leaving candles unattended or small grease fires can lead to bigger accidents, he warned.

"We really need to work together, because when we don't have fire safety plans and we don't have working smoke detectors, that's just so much more work and so much more risk," Kuhn told Yellowknifer.

For seniors, mobility, vision and hearing issues can make fire safety plans even more critical.

"If I know that I have a bad back and I walk slow, then I need to make sure that I'm prepared for my own safety," he said.

Kuhn doled out a number of proactive tips - everything from keeping a tidy kitchen to prevent stove fires to shutting the bedroom door at night.

That's because many doors are built to withstand great heat, Kuhn said, and closing them at night can save lives.

Smoke is also more dangerous than fire, he reminded the crowd, adding "one breath will kill."

While most people know it's important to have a smoke alarm, Kuhn told the crowd there are different kinds of alarms available that can benefit seniors with hearing loss, such as ones with blinking red lights or that are louder than normal.

People should never smoke cigarettes while on medical oxygen either, he said, as it feeds fire and can lead to severe burns

on a person's nose or mouth.

Kuhn said every time someone tells him they've learned something new from his presentations, it's "one life changed."

He first started giving fire safety presentations while working in Edmonton as a fire inspector, part of which involved educating others.

"We'd go to the seniors homes and it was always such a great success," he said. "That's where I really got to interact and engage and realized that fire fighting isn't about always being on the front-line trucks and helping out the people who call for assistance. Even fire prevention is helping."

So when he moved to Yellowknife, he wanted to do the same.

Kuhn plans to bring that education to Yellowknife students next and will be making his first stop at Range Lake North School around the end of the month.

"Hopefully presentations like this will create more conversation, which creates more awareness," Kuhn said.

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