Halifax Regional Fire & Emergency (HRFE) is encouraging residents to take a moment next week to look around their home and assess how safe it is.
National Fire Prevention Week begins on Sunday and the theme this year is “Look. Listen. Learn. Be aware. Fire can happen anywhere.”
- Look for places fire can start
- Listen for the sound of the smoke alarm
- Learn two ways out of each room
Those three simple words could be the difference between life and death.
Take a good look around your home and identify potential fire hazards and take care of them. Listen to your smoke alarm from all liveable areas of your home. Will you be able to hear it when it goes off?
And finally, learn how to get out of each room in the event of a fire. It’s critical that you have an escape plan and all doors and windows that lead outside open easily and are free of clutter.
To assist residents in making their homes safer, HRFE is launching a new initiative called the Practise Using Safety at Home program, which involves community and home visits by firefighter crews. This program involves smoke alarm testing and educational material.
Call 311 to book an appointment under thePractise Using Safety at Home program.
HRFE is also running a social media contest through the month of October. Head to the Halifax Regional Fire & Emergency Facebook page beginning at 9:11 a.m. on Sunday to get more information.
Statistics show, on average, fire kills eight people each week in Canada, with residential fires accounting for 73 per cent of those fatalities. Most of these fires are preventable.
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Source : HRFE / Release