——

The weekly practice session of the Thornhill Volunteer Fire
Department looked like the end of the world last Thursday night, but
the blaze involved only a small but very willing shed at the corner of
Krumm Rd. and Laurel St. in Thornhill. The volunteers, along with

Terrace Review —— Wednesday, October 9, 1991 17

their colleagues in the Terrace and Kitimat fire departments, are
stressing the importance of escape plans for all families to get out of
their houses in the event of fire. This week is Fire Prevention Week,
and firefighters have awareness activities planned.

Fire Prevention Week

ees " oo manner, |
ay _ + Keep matches and lighters out of
ye  - > peach of small children.
Pe, *Call in the chimney sweep every
' fall so you can use your fireplace

by Tod Strachan

This is Fire Prevention Week,
and while a number safety-related
events are taking place around

Terrace, perhaps the most import-.

ant event of all takes place at 7
p.m. tonight. This is the "Get Out
Alive" drill, and everyone in the
area concerned about the well
being of their family will be taking

‘part,

At 7 p.m., local residents will
hear the sound of a smoke alarm
on focal radio and television sta-
tions, giving them a cue to put
their emergency plan to the test.

Most people who have younger
school-aged children have probably
been inundated by questions and
suggestions what to do in the event
of a fire.

At least two escape routes should
be planned for every room in the
house. Outside, ihe plan should

include a predetermined meeting
place so there is no question that
everyone is safe,

A window, for example, is a
great way to get out... Unless it’s
on the second floor. A rope ladder
might work, or perhaps a specially-
made, collapsible aluminum ladder
would be a solution. Any child
with Fire Safety House experience
knows how these ladders-work.

There are a number of other
things to be discussed. For
example, where are fire extin-
guishers stored and how are they
used? How to decide which of one,
two or more escape routes to use?
Feel the door. Is it hot? There’s a
lot of smoke: do you stand up and
try running out of the house? Or
do you get down on all fours and
crawl? Everyone must know the
answers to these questions.

working smoke alarm monitoring
your home at all times. You should
have a workable and well-tested

-_” escape plan just in case there is a

.. fire. Everyone must know exactly
“what to do under any circum-
“stance. But at the same time, you
should do everything you can to
Make sure your plan is never put
“to the actual test.

A few things you might want to

- keep in mind:

_*Use electrical outlets in the man-

~-ner for which they were designed.

"..sMake sure flammable and explos-
ive materials are stored in a safe

without fear of starting a chimney
fire. -

eAnd where do you put those
potentially hot ashes when you
clean out your fireplace — in a
cardboard box in the carport or
garage? You could be sorry if you
do.

eAnd there’s paper. Homes have
been destroyed by some one
throwing all that decorative wrap
into the fireplace Christmas morn-
ing, or carelessly putting a news-
paper or flyer on the kitchen stove.
Don’t store boxes of your memoirs
to near to a source of excessive
heat or flame.

Seemingly simple household
maintenance can be dangerous or
fatal. A few years ago, an Ontario
woman used a flammable liquid to
strip wax off of her hardwood
floor. An ignition source, possibly
a pilot light or faulty electrical
outlet, ignited the fumes. The
woman died in the explosion and
subsequent fire, Last’ spring a
Terrace teenager learned the hard
way that it’s a bad idea to use
gasoline indoors to clean paint
brushes or rollers, He received first
and second degree burns to 25
percent of his body when the ex-
plosive fumes were ignited by the

And what about fire prevention?

You should have a tested arid: . & 2

pilot light of a nearby hot water
tank.

The number of ways to start a
house fire is limited only by the
degree of carelessness an the part
of the home owner. The number of
ways to prevent fires makes a
considerably shorter list.

In Canada last year, there were
about 3,000 fire related injuries
and deaths. Eighty percent of all
fire deaths in Canada occur in
residential dwellings. And of those
deaths, preschool children have a
fire death rate greater than twice
the national average.

The Terrace, Thornhill and Kiti-
mat fire departments are not pre-
pared to allow these kinds of stat-
istics to continue. The fire chiefs
of all three departments acknow]l-
edge that it may be impossible to
eliminate all household fires, but
they also say positive action to
eliminate as many fire tragedies as
possible must begin today. And
this positive action must become a
part of everyone’s daily routine.

*
at

Cr i ec ee” eae a

i i a en ae a ee) ee

ee ee ee