Ensuring your smoke detector is working is the focus of this year’s Fire Prevention Week in Rocky View County (RVC), according to Captain Randy Smith of Rocky View County Fire Services (RVCFS).
“It’s going to be a busy month. Actually, all seven stations – whether they’re career or volunteer – have been tasked with going out and trying to hit as many homes as we can with our smoke alarm program.
“They’ll be going out and offering to check people’s smoke alarms, make sure that it’s functioning, provide advice on where their smoke alarm is located.”
Smoke alarms will be provided free of charge to those who need them.
“For any of the vulnerable populations – like seniors – they’ll actually install a smoke alarm if they need one so they’re not leaving someone unprotected,” Smith said.
Fire Prevention Week runs Oct. 4 to 10 this year and is an initiative of the National Fire Protection Association, the organization responsible for promoting fire safety to residents in Canada.
Smith said RVCFS participates in Fire Prevention Week each year, though it does not limit its activities to the week but instead focuses its efforts throughout the month.
“This is one of our strategic planning initiatives with the County and so we’ve set this up and done some training with the (crews) so they know what to say,” Smith explained. “Even if no one is home – and that happens quite often – we’re going to leave a dock knocker (with) some information on checking their smoke alarms.
“Really, the focus here is, you need to have a working smoke alarm in your home, outside your sleeping areas and preferably in your bedroom as well. That’s the whole national campaign – Hear the Beep, Where you Sleep is the slogan and it’s focused on working smoke alarms. It’s been proven time and time again that (those) save lives.”
RVCFS has seven fire halls in Elbow Valley, Maddon, Langdon, Irricana, Springbank, Bearspaw and Balzac.
Smith said the importance of having working smoke alarms in your home can’t be stressed enough.
“It’s like having a firefighter standing in your hallway, waiting for something to happen and to let you know there’s a problem,” he said. “You’ll see the big fires (reported on) in the papers or on the news and it’s where these fires are allowed to burn undetected that, that situation happens. You don’t see all the times the fire department responds out because people are alarmed to the situation and they’re able to deal with it. We deal with it when they’re just small incidences.
“Change your battery, test your smoke alarm, take a vacuum and make sure there’s no buildup of dust and you know it’s going to work for you.”
