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October 08, 2015 - 5:30 PM
KAMLOOPS - On Saturday, Oct. 10, Kamloops Fire Rescue will be hosting an open house as part of Fire Prevention Week.
The 2015 Fire Prevention Week theme is “Hear the BEEP Where You SLEEP”:
- Did you know that half of home fire deaths result from fires reported between 11 p.m. and 7 a.m., when most people are asleep? Fires were reported in only one in five homes during these hours.
- Smoking materials are the leading cause of home fire deaths.
- Three out of five fire deaths happen from fires in the homes with no smoke alarms or no working smoke alarms.
Fire Chief Dale McLean says, “Fire prevention has to be a priority in our community. With the majority of structure fires occurring in our homes, KFR has to focus on public education to ensure the citizens of our community are safe from fire in their homes.”
“The Fire Prevention Week theme ‘Hear the Beep BEEP where you SLEEP’ sends a strong message of the importance of smoke alarms in your home and where you sleep. By having working smoke alarms in your home you increase the chances of surviving a house fire by at least 50%,” said Captain Sheldon Guertin of Kamloops Fire Rescue.
On Saturday, Oct. 10, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Kamloops Fire Rescue will be hosting an open house for the public at Fire Station 1, 1205 Summit Dr. Please note that the Fire Hall parking lot will be closed to vehicles. Arrangements have been made with Sahali Mall for the public to park in their lot during the open house.
The Open House will feature fire safety education, tours of the Fire Hall Museum and fire dispatch, demonstrations of fire apparatus and fire extinguishers, and activities for the kids, including the inflatable Fire Safety House. A barbecue will also take place with all donations going to the B.C. Professional Fire Fighters Burn Fund. The 2016 Fire Fighter Calendar will also be available for purchase.
Other fire safety tips for the home include:
- Install smoke alarms in every bedroom, outside each separate sleeping area and on every level of the home, including the basement.
- Interconnect all smoke alarms throughout the home. This way, when one sounds, they all do.
- Test alarms at least monthly by pushing the test button.
- Replace all smoke alarms when they are 10 years old or sooner if they don’t respond properly.
- Make sure everyone in the home knows the sound of the smoke alarm and understands what to do when they hear it.
- If the smoke alarm sounds, get outside and stay outside. Go to your outside meeting place.
- Call the fire department from outside the home.
Be sure to enter the contest by filling out a ballot for “Hear the BEEP where you SLEEP” to have a chance for your home set up with interconnected smoke/CO alarms.
For more information visit www.nfpa.org/safety-information, or contact Kamloops Fire Rescue at 250-372-5131 or firesafety@kamloops.ca. Remember to follow Kamloops Fire Rescue on Facebook and Twitter.
News from © iNFOnews, 2015