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Bashaw Fire Department marks Fire Prevention Week

Fire Prevention Week 2022 is Oct. 9 to 15
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Fire Prevention Week is here and the Bashaw Fire Department is reminding residents that “Fire won’t wait. Plan your escape.”

The Bashaw Fire Department is teaming up with the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Fire Prevention Week TM (FPW), Oct. 9 to 15, 2022. This year’s FPW campaign, “Fire won’t wait. Plan your escape,” works to educate everyone about simple but important actions they can take to keep themselves and those around them safe from home fires.

“Today’s homes burn faster than ever. You may have as little as two minutes (or even less time) to safely escape a home fire from the time the smoke alarm sounds. Your ability to get out of a home during a fire depends on early warning from smoke alarms and advance planning,” said Lorraine Carli, vice president of Outreach and Advocacy at NFPA.

The Bashaw Fire Department wants to share these key home fire escape planning tips:

• Make sure your plan meets the needs of all your family members, including those with sensory or physical disabilities.

• Smoke alarms should be installed inside every sleeping room, outside each separate sleeping area, and on every levelof your home. Smoke alarms should be interconnected so when one sounds, they all sound. • Know at least two ways out of every room, if possible. Make sure all doors and windows open easily.

• Have an outside meeting place a safe distance from your home where everyone should meet. • Practice your home fire drill at least twice a year with everyone in the household, including guests. Practice at least once during the day and at night.

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Home fire escape planning and practicing

It is important for everyone to plan and practice a home fire escape. Everyone needs to be prepared in advance, so that they know what to do when the smoke alarm sounds. Given that every home is different, every home fire escape plan will also be different.

Have a plan for everyone in the home. Children, older adults, and people with disabilities may need assistance to wake up and get out. Make sure that someone will help them!

Smoke alarms

Smoke alarms sense smoke well before you can, alerting you to danger. Smoke alarms need to be in every bedroom, outside of the sleeping areas (like a hallway), and on each level (including the basement) of your home. Do not put smoke alarms in your kitchen or bathrooms.

Choose an alarm that is listed with a testing laboratory, meaning it has met certain standards for protection.

For the best protection, use combination smoke and carbon monoxide alarms that are interconnected throughout the home. These can be installed by a qualified electrician, so that when one sounds, they all sound. This ensures you can hear the alarm no matter where in your home the alarm originates.

Importance of fire prevention

In a fire, mere seconds can mean the difference between a safe escape and a tragedy. Fire safety education isn’t just for school children. Teenagers, adults, and the elderly are also at risk in fires, making it important for every member of the community to take some time every October during Fire Prevention Week to make sure they understand how to stay safe in case of a fire.

- National Fire Protection Association

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Photos of the Bashaw Fire Department hard at practice. If you’re interested in becoming a volunteer firefighter, contact Chief Dustin Hemingson at firechief@townofbashaw.com, or Alec Dubitz, at alecdubitz16@gmail.com. (Photo submitted/Bashaw Fire Department)
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