FIRE PREVENTION WEEK OCT. 6-12 HIGHLIGHTS SUMMER SURVEY
Breyan Sinnott, Fire Prevention Officer
GRAVENHURST — Oct. 6 to 12, is Fire Prevention Week across North America, and leading up to it the Gravenhurst Fire Department has been sharing information gathered from its “Have Your Say” community survey conducted in August.
“The survey told us several important things about fire safety, and over the last five weeks, we’ve shared five key findings over our social media channels,” says Breyan Sinnott, Fire Prevention Officer.
“Fire safety can’t be just a focus for our community for one week in October. If we really want to make a difference in Gravenhurst, we have to pay attention to this issues, 52 weeks of the year.”
(It’s part of this year’s theme: ‘Not every hero wears a cape,” a reference to firefighters, and their mascot Sparky, who urge you to plan and practise a fire escape.)
The Fire Department Twitter feed @GravenhurstFIRE pointed to the following key safety findings from the survey:
- Most people were concerned about electrical fires, careless smoking and candles as being the biggest threat from fire in their home.
- Over 95% of the survey respondents had smoke alarms on all levels of their home, and 89% had Carbon Monoxide alarms.
- While 92% of those who answered the survey felt safe in their homes, only 52% shared that they’d actually had and practiced how to escape their home in the event of a fire.
- While most people had changed the batteries in their alarms in the last six months, over a quarter admitted that they had not done so.
- Only 46% were prepared for a longer term emergency lasting 72 hours or more, such as a winter storm.
“What these numbers tell us is that there are still a few people who are not properly prepared for an emergency such as a fire. There is no reason for anyone to be without adequate smoke or CO alarms – we provide them for free to those in need. Landlords are obligated to provide these life safety items as well,” says Sinnott.
“Dead batteries have been a significant factor in many fires where people have perished. No one is in a better position that YOU to protect yourself, and if you’re relying on the Fire Department to save you in the event of a catastrophic fire, well this is simply a mistake, because most often, we arrive too late.”
This statistic holds true in all communities in Ontario where 100 people die every year from fires. Most of these deaths occur in the home.
Gravenhurst firefighters will be out in selected neighbourhoods during the early evening hours next week delivering fire safety messages to help emphasize the importance of preparedness, but ultimately it’s up to everyone to take responsibility for their own safety and to take this issue seriously.
Don’t go to bed tonight unless you’ve checked that your alarms are working properly, and please have a plan in place for every member of your family to escape the fire we hope you never have.
For more information, please contact Breyan Sinnott, fire prevention officer at 705-687-3414 or email her at breyan.sinnott@gravenhurst.ca
