Being ready ‘best way’ to prevent emergencies
Response co-ordinator says it’s ‘up to each and every one of us’ to prepare
Are you prepared to respond if a fire happens at your home?
Fire prevention week is Oct. 7 to 13 across Canada, and Kings County’s Regional Emergency Management Organization, or REMO, is encouraging its residents to have a plan and be ready should an emergency happen.
This year’s theme is ‘Look, Listen, Learn,’ and encourages people to ‘look for places fire can start,’ ‘listen for the sound of the smoke alarm’ and ‘learn two ways out of each room.’
Regional emergency co-ordinator Dan Stovel said such strategies are important and are the best way to be ready for an emergency.
“The key principles are to know the risk, make a plan and have an emergency kit,” he said.
Andrew Mitton is a captain with the New Minas Volunteer Fire Department, and the Kings County branch director for the Fire Service Association of Nova Scotia. As someone familiar with how to prepare for an emergency, he said taking care of and paying attention to small things with high risks of causing fires is essential to preventing a disaster.
Things like careless smoking and poor disposal of cigarettes and other sources of ash are among the biggest causes of fires, according to Mitton.
“What we find, especially in this time of year, is people go throw them out back and put them in compost piles or a green bin close to their house when the weather gets cold,” he said.
“That can easily spark or ignite a fire when it’s that close to the house.”
He said chimneys are also very common sources of fires, most often due to a lack of inspection or regular maintenance to ensure they are functioning properly. And while candles are often thought to be a leading cause of house fires, Mitton said these have now become less significant.
Mitton said nearly all fires, whether caused by a chimney or even a house’s electrical system, can be prevented, and come down to accidents caused by human error.
“The easiest thing if you don’t know how to be prepared is to make contact with your local fire department. They can point you in the right direction to check whether your home is a hazard,” he said.
A release issued by Kings County REMO also advises families to create an evacuation plan with at least two emergency exit strategies, and to practice them.
“Home escape planning is one of the most basic but fundamental elements of home fire safety and can truly make the difference between life and death in a fire situation,” it stated.
Stovel said being prepared is a message he brings with him each time he meets with community stakeholders. He gave a presentation on being prepared as recently as Oct. 1 at the Kingston Lions Club.
The organization’s strategic aim is for a safe and resilient Kings County, and Stovel said each presentation brings the county one step closer.
“It’s up to each and every one of us to be prepared when an emergency takes place,” he said.