Fire Prevention = Education!
The more you and your family educate yourselves about fire the safer your family will be. Plan ahead and ensure everyone in your home knows what to do in the event of a fire. Does your home have fire extinguishers? Working Smoke alarms? Carbon Monoxide detectors?
Does your family have an escape plan? One with two safe escape routes out of every room along with a safe meeting place once everyone is outside is very important. The best way to keep you and your family safe during a fire is to get out of the house!
Fire Prevention Week - October 5 - 11, 2008
Fire Prevention Week was a great success! 100 Mile House Fire-Rescue would like to thank all the participating students and members of the community for their continuing support! We hope that everyone took the time to check their smoke alarms, create an escape plan and learned how to prevent household fires! 100 Mile House Fire-Rescue is always open to the public and visitors are welcome any time of the year.
Nobody expects a fire emergency. Fire incidents are accidental and planning ahead is the best tool you can have to prevent loss of life and property.
SMOKE DETECTORS SAVE LIVES!
100 Mile House Fire-Rescue reminds you to buy, install and regularly check smoke detectors througout your home. We recommend you place one on every level of your home or business. One in all sleeping areas including bedrooms and guest rooms. Follow the instructions on how to use, maintain and replace smoke alarms. Remeber to plan ahead! Practice your fire escape plan at lease once a year and update it as needed.
- Test smoke alarms once a month.
- Batteries should be changed yearly. A good time to change your batteries is when we change our clocks during daylight savings time
- A chirping sound means a new battery is needed.
- Keep your smoke alarms clean, they should be vacuumed monthly and not placed in dusty or greasy areas.
- Smoke alarms should be replaced every 7-10 years.
Make sure everyone in the household knows what your smoke alarms sounds like and more importantly knows what to do when it does! Teach your children how to safely escape the house when there is a fire. Teach them how fire and smoke behave, to stay low and test the doors for heat before opening and to get out of the house! Remember, NEVER go back into a burning house!
CARBON MONOXIDE POISONING - BE AWARE!
You cannot see or smell carbon monoxide, but at dangerous levels it can kill a unsuspecting victim in minutes. Carbon monoxide is produced when any fuel such as gas, oil, kerosene, wood, or charcoal is burned. If applicances malfunction or are used incorrectly dangerous levels of carbon monoxide can result.
Be aware of the systoms of carbon monoxide poisoning. Moderate levels can cause severe headaches, dizzyness, confusion, nausious or faint. Moderate levels can even cause death over a long period of time. Low levels can cause shortness of breath, mild nausea, and mild headaches and can cause longer term effects on your overall health. These symptoms can be a result of a number of things, a person may not be aware that carbon monoxide poisoning could be the cause.
If you or anyone in your family experience syptoms that you think could be caused from carbon monoxide:
- Get Fresh Air Immediately. Open doors and windows, turn off combustion applicances and leave the house.
- Go To An Emergency Room and inform the staff you suspect carbon monoxide poisoning. Carbon Monoxide poisoning can be diagnosed through blood tests soon after exposure.
Prevention is the answer to avoiding Carbon Monoxide Poisoning
- Have your fuel burning applicances regularly maintained. Make sure your flues and chimneys are connected and in good condition.
- Choose appliances that vent their fumes to the outside whenever possible, have them installed and maintained by a proffessional.
- Carefully read and follow all the directions that accompany any fuel burning devices.
- NEVER idle your car in a garage - fumes can build up very quickly in the garage and living area of your home.
- Do NOT use a gas oven to heat your home, even for a short time.
- NEVER use a charcoal grill indoors.
- Do NOT sleep in any room with an unvented gas or kerosene space heater.
- Do NOT use any gas powered engines in enclosed spaces.
- Do NOT ignore symtoms, particularly if more than one person is feeling them. You or your loved ones could loose consiousness and die if you do nothing.
FUN for Kids
Colouring Pages
Make Time for Safety! KIDS ONLY!
Sparky the Fire Dog!
