This year, the Calgary Fire Department (CFD) is proud to observe and promote the National Fire Protection Association’s (NFPA) theme for Fire Prevention Week – Smoke alarms: make them work for you!
Fire Prevention Week runs from October 6 – 12, and this year’s campaign aims to educate everyone about simple, but important, actions Calgarians can take to make sure their smoke alarms are working and ready to people safe.
“If there is a fire in your home, you have less than two minutes to get out, so working smoke alarms are critical,” said Jeff Budai, Community Safety Coordinator with the CFD. “Statistics show that the risk of dying in a home fire is reduced by over 50% when working smoke alarms are present. Despite this, three out of five fire deaths happen in homes without smoke alarms or where alarms aren’t functioning. The CFD is urging everyone to make sure their smoke alarms are working properly; it only takes a few minutes and could make all the difference in keeping you and your family safe.”
These three important actions will help make sure your smoke alarms are an effective first line of defence:
· Install smoke alarms in every bedroom, outside each sleeping area and on every level of your home, including the basement.
· Test all smoke alarms, including 10-year lithium-ion battery powered alarms, at least once a month by pushing the test button and replace batteries at least once per year.
· Replace smoke alarms when they are 10 years old or don’t respond when tested.
Make sure your smoke alarms meet the needs of everyone in your household, including those with sensory or physical disabilities. Consider alarms with strobe lights or assistive alerting signals such as sound alerts at lower frequencies or bed shakers that alert you through vibrations when the alarms activate.
Deaf or hard of hearing people requiring financial assistance may qualify under the Calgary Fire Department Home Safety Program for an assistive alerting/signaling device at no cost. Please visit calgary.ca/FirePreventionWeek for more details.
If your smoke alarms sound, get out of your home as quickly as possible, close the doors behind you, then phone 911.
Family-friendly open houses
To help Calgarians learn more about fire prevention and how to ensure your smoke alarms are in good working order, CFD is hosting two fire station open houses. Calgarians of all ages are invited to drop by to talk to the firefighters, tour the fire trucks and enter to win some great prizes.
Join us at one of the following Open Houses:
· October 6, 1- 4 p.m. – McKenzie Towne Fire Station (6 McKenzie Towne Gate S.E.)
· October 12, 1 – 4 p.m. – Country Hills Fire Station (11955 Country Village Link N.E.)
CFD will also be at the Genesis Centre (7555 Falconridge Blvd N.E.) on October 9, from 4 – 7 p.m., to share information about smoke alarms and fire prevention.
Smoke alarm blitz
Every year during Fire Prevention Week, CFD visits a community with smoke alarms in hand, offering to install new smoke alarms for free. This year, they will be in the community of Falconridge the evening of October 10 to test, and where necessary, install or provide smoke alarms for some residents of the community. CFD will be joined by ATCO, who will be offering carbon monoxide alarms to those residents.
About Fire Prevention Week
Fire Prevention Week is held annually by fire departments across North America. Fire Prevention Day was proclaimed in Canada in 1919 to commemorate the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, as well as a major fire that destroyed the Centre Block of the Parliament buildings in Ottawa on February 3, 1916. In 1922, Fire Prevention Day expanded to Fire Prevention Week.
For more information about smoke alarms and Fire Prevention Week activities, please visit calgary.ca/firepreventionweek.
