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2023 Fire Prevention Week

October 10, 2023 in CommunityFire ServicesNotices

This year’s Fire Prevention Week campaign, “Cooking Safety Starts with YOU. Pay Attention to Fire Prevention™,” aims to educate everyone about simple yet crucial actions to ensure their safety and the safety of those around them while cooking.

Fire Prevention Week brings awareness to fire risks, striving to educate citizens about fire prevention including how to safely escape their home or building in the event of a fire. It is focused on providing education about the small but important actions people can take to keep themselves and their homes safe from fire.

About Fire Prevention Week

Since 1922, the NFPA has sponsored the public observance of Fire Prevention Week. In 1925, President Calvin Coolidge proclaimed Fire Prevention Week a national observance, making it the longest-running public health observance in our country. During Fire Prevention Week, children, adults, and teachers learn how to stay safe in case of a fire. Firefighters provide lifesaving public education in an effort to drastically decrease casualties caused by fires.

Fire Prevention Week is observed each year during the week of October 9th in commemoration of the Great Chicago Fire, which began on October 8, 1871, and caused devastating damage. This horrific conflagration killed more than 250 people, left 100,000 homeless, destroyed more than 17,400 structures, and burned more than 2,000 acres of land.

Cooking Safety

Did you know? Cooking fires are the leading cause of home fires and home fire injuries. Unattended cooking is the leading cause of cooking fires and deaths.

What can you do? The good news is you can prevent most cooking fires and burns. Help keep your family safer with some simple but effective tips.

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Fire Prevention Week Colouring Activities

Ensuring your children understand the significance of fire safety, particularly in the kitchen, is crucial. Wheatland County urges families to dedicate some time this week to educate their kids on the significance of fire safety. Using the colouring pages provided below, you can have a meaningful discussion about fire safety within your family. Just download the documents, print them, and let the colouring begin!

FPW23_ColoringDownload
FPW23_AdultColoringDownload

Learn the Sounds of Fire Safety

SMOKE ALARMS

Hear a beep, get on your feet! A continuous set of three, loud beeps means smoke or fire. Get out and call 911.

  • Install smoke alarms throughout your home, high up on a wall or ceiling.
  • Make sure everyone in the home can hear the smoke alarms.
  • Smoke alarms and alert devices (also known as accessories) are available for people who are deaf/hard of hearing or for those who are heavy sleepers. Strobe lights or pillow/bed shakers are also available.
  • Replace smoke alarm batteries at least once a year.
  • All smoke alarms must be replaced with a new smoke alarm after 10 years.
  • Never remove batteries or disable alarms.

A working smoke alarm is your first line of defense if there is a fire in your home.

CARBON MONOXIDE SAFETY

Hear a chirp, make a change! A single chirp every 30 or 60 seconds means that the battery is low and must be replaced. Chirping that continues after the battery has been replaced means that the alarm is at the end of its life and the entire alarm unit must be replaced with a new one.

Carbon Monoxide (CO) is an odourless, colourless and toxic gas. Exposure to CO can cause symptoms such as dizziness, headache, nausea, fatigue, burning eyes, vomiting, and loss of muscle control.

  • Install CO alarms in a central location outside each sleeping room as well as on every level of the home.
  • Test CO alarms at least once a month and replace them according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
  • Replace the CO alarm batteries once a year.

Never remove batteries or disable alarms.

Practice Your Family’s Home Safety Action Plan

Does your family have a Home Fire Safety Action Plan? Consider making the first Saturday of each month “Smoke Alarm Saturday” and remember to create a home fire escape plan and practice it at least twice a year. Download NFPA’s  Home Safety Action Plan  and take some time to work through it with your family. 

For More Information

For additional information, activities, and educational resources on fire safety, please visit the Fire Prevention Week website or contact Wheatland County Fire Services at 403-361-2182.

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