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Prevention campaign focuses on leading causes of fires at home Fort Simpson Fire Department warns residents to pay attention when preparing food
Jeanne Gagnon
Northern News Services
Published Thursday, October 10, 2013
LIIDLII KUE/FORT SIMPSON
Leaving items unattended on the stove is one of the leading causes of fires in Fort Simpson, and likely in many other Canadian communities. That's why the Fort Simpson Volunteer Fire Department and the GNWT are spreading the word that preventing kitchen fires can go a long way in saving homes and, more importantly, lives.
This can be done following a number of safety tips many residents will likely be reminded of this Fire Prevention Week, which runs from Oct. 6 to 12.
This year's campaign focuses on reducing the number of kitchen fires. Every year, items are left on stoves or in ovens after people walk away, who then forget about them or leave the house, said Michael Blyth, a lieutenant with the Fort Simpson Volunteer Fire Department.
This brings out the importance of smoke alarms, added Scott Whitmore, also a lieutenant with the fire department.
"A recent call we went on, somebody had put something in the oven and they had left home. I don't know where they had gone or if they were gone longer than expected, but we ended up being called because the neighbour heard the smoke alarm going off," said Whitmore.
"When we got there, the alarm was still going off and you could smell smoke. We were able to basically turn the stove off and that solved the problem. As opposed to no alarm going off, that would have just kept going until somebody smelled smoke or saw flames."
Ideally, you don't want it to get into a situation where you need the smoke alarm, but it is necessary to prevent a situation from getting out of control, said Whitmore. He added that if you have a family, it's important to have an escape plan so everyone knows what to do in case of fire.
"People hear it all the time. It's repeated all the time but that's kind of the first step to preventing the fire is just having those (smoke alarms), the equipment there that will let you know early on that something is wrong," said Whitmore.
The Fort Simpson Volunteer Fire Department has about 25 members with varying levels of involvement. It responds to about 30 fire calls a year, including false alarms. The department also responds to an average of 150 to 200 ambulance calls a year and between five and 10 motor vehicle accidents per year.
The fire department will hold an open house with activities for children and recruitment information on Oct. 10 from 7 until about 8:30 p.m.
"If they have never seen (the fire hall), now is a good time to come. If they are interested in joining, it would be a perfect chance to talk with us and see what it's all about," said Blyth, who joined the volunteer fire department in 2004.
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