Fire escape plans are important to practice

Taking time to plan a safe way out of a burning home or business is an important October fire safety message in Swift Current.

Deputy Fire Chief Pete L’heureux attended the October 7 Swift Current City Council meeting to highlight their 2019 Fire Prevention Campaign. This year the National Fire Protection Association’s theme is “Not Every Hero Wears a Cape, Plan and Practice Your Escape.”

“People tend to underestimate the potential for a fire in their homes or work. This complacency can lead to a lack of working smoke detectors, planning for escape or having two working ways out of each room. Planning and practicing your emergency plan at home and work helps us be comfortable and prepared in the event of an emergency,” L’heureux told City Council earlier this month.

“With lighter construction methods, open spaces, and synthetic fibres in our furnishings, home fires are growing faster and larger than ever before.”

He said other contributing factors to problematic small commercial and industrial fires which can quickly grow out of control includes a lack of storage, overloading of aging electrical systems, and a lack of maintenance to fire alarms and sprinkler systems.

L’heureux urged all Swift Current residents to practice their home or business fire escape plans.

“We hope that during Fire Prevention Week, every family, home and work place takes time this week to create, review and practice their emergency plan.”

Fire Prevention Week, which has been in existence since 1922, was observed on October 6 to 12.

For more information about the Swift Current Fire Department, visit www.swiftcurrent.ca/ fire.