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26 THE OAKVILLE BEAVER Friday, October 1, 1999 FIRE P R E V E N T IO N 1 9 9 9 A d d ressin g th e im p o rta n ce o f f ir e sa fe ty in "The Great Escape " By K ym Funnell OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF First and foremost, everyone go check your smoke alarm, make sure the batteries are in and working. One of the greatest factors in fire deaths is that there are no working fire alarms. . "It is law that each home has a fire alarm," emphasizes Chief Gould of the Oakville Fire Department. "We highly recommend that you install a smoke alarm on each level. There's no harm in exceed­ ing the law. Test them monthly, the age- old adage, change the batteries when you change your clocks." It also wouldn't hurt to replace your smoke alarm every five years. In the course of the Fire Prevention Week, from October 3 - 9, 1999, there will be a North American wide fire drill. Planned for Wednesday, October 6, at 7:00 p.m., participating fire stations will sounds their alarms, which will be your signal to hold your own fire drill. This is the third year of the NFPA's (official sponsor for Fire Prevention Week) public safety campaign, "Fire Drills: The Great Escape". In addition to the unified North American fire drill, there are two grand prize contests, with the grand prize being a trip to Walt Disney World. To participate in "The Great Escape", create a home fire escape plan using NFPA's planning grid (on page 7) and practice it during the unified drill. Then fill out the official entry form and take it to your local fire station. The following are some home fire escape basics. First, every room should have two ways out. One way would be the door, and if blocked, the second could be a window that could lead to a balcony or roof, or somewhere that you could signal to the fire department. Second, you should have a smoke alarm on every level of your house. Third, choose a family meeting place outside your home, i.e., a tree, tele­ phone pole, or a neighbour's house. And most importantly, practice your fire escape plan frequently. Practice at least twice a year, and make sure to update it as circumstances in your home change, such as the arrival of a new baby or older adult who will be living with you. Community services and programs "We offer many services to the com­ munity. A key service is the Home Awareness Program," explains Chief Gould. "Monday to Thursday evenings and weekends, fire crews go door to door in their area conducting home safety checks, and will reveiw your home for fire safety." This safety survey is voluntary, but Chief Gould encourages residents to take part. "Our fire crews are not just ambas­ sadors of the fire department, but of the town as well. They are well informed on fire safety matters and the Town's opera­ tions." The safety survey only takes 30 minutes, and it is always nice to meet your local fire fighters. Allowing our fire crews to conduct a fire safety check of your home could be the single most important thing you do to protect yourself and your loved ones from a fire tragedy. If you're not home, or the time is not convenient, please call the Fire Prevention Division at 338-4404 to arrange for a home safety check. For more information about Fire Prevention Week, visit the Town's web site at www.town.oakville.on.ca. A new program the fire department offers is "Risk Watch". Risk Watch is an accident prevention program being intro­ duced to the elementary school system that goes beyond fire safety to target the eight major areas that kill or injure chil­ dren: motor vehicle collisions, fires and burns, choking, suffocation and strangula­ tion, poisoning, falls, firearms injuries, bike and pedestrian injuries, and drown­ ing. This program is to ensure that with proper education, children can learn to make safe choices and prevent injuries. Chief Gould points out, "the Risk Watch program is not just an add-on to the school's curriculum, but rather it helps them meet the government's required edu­ cation curriculum." The Oakville Fire Department also offers "Older and Wiser" programs for seniors. The fire station is always open for tours, and residents are encouraged to take advantage of this fact to come visit and learn how the fire station operates. The fire department's mission is simple, to Oakville Fire Department prevent fires and save lives, but they can't achieve this without the public's help. "We are extremely proud of the services we provide to our community, and are always looking for ways to improve. We are your fire department, funded through tax dollars, please take advantage of us. "I would like to express my apprecia­ tion to our staff for the role they play in providing fire safety programs to the pub­ lic, as well as their fire response efforts," Chief Gould's sincere closing statement. P a u l 's R e s t o r a t i o n s Pa u l 's R e s to r a tio n s O a k v ille • 24 Hour Emergency Service • Disaster Repair & Cleaning Specialists • Complete Building and Content Restorations • Comprehensive Cleaning Services FIRE • SMOKE • WIND • WATER 2 3 4 5 W y e c ro ft R o a d , U n it 2 5 , O a k v ille 469-2345 FRIDAY, OCTOBER 8 th 9 A M - 5 P M Full Day Program 1 Hour of Shinny' 1 Hour of Instruction 3 on 3 Tournament Off Ice Training & Activity Pizza Lunch! $4 9 + TAX! SPORTS OAKVILLE 2300 Cornwall Rd. Oakville 845-6989 |HUR0K SERVICES GROUP LUTED JOHN D. THOMSON GENERAL MANAGER "Quality service to the distribution industry since 1969". 88 DUNN ST., STE. 202 OAKVILLE, ONT. L6J 3C7 Edghill Realty Inc. 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