The Huron Expositor, 1962-10-04, Page 88,4rag uvRoll ltax osiTo% SEAFORTB ON'f �, OCT. 4, 196.2 ' *:
ire
NEGLECT OFFIRE PRECAUTIONS
POSSIBLE CRIMINAL LIABILITY
For a compassionate commune
ity there can be no sadder news
than the death by fire of chil-
dren in the home.
The shadow deepens when
the headlines read: "We left
them alone only for a few min-
utes "
For the stricken family, the
shadow lasts a lifetime.
No child (and, for that mat-
ter, no very old or dependent
person) should ever be left
alone. This is a vital message
from Canada's fire services, not
just for Fire Pvvention Week
but throughout the year.
There are various provincial
penalties for callous neglect of
children. And section 189 of the
Criminal Code of Canada reads:
"Everyone who unlawfully aban-
dons or exposes .a child who is
under the age of 10 years, so
that its life is or is likely -to' be
endangered or its health is or
is likely to' be permanently in-
jured, is guilty of an indictable
offence and is .liable to impri-
sonment for two years."
Tragic Sameness of the News
There is a tragic monotony
to the files of the last year in
which 212 children died: Par-
ents out drinking, infant smoth-
' ers in' fire . . three-year-old
knacks over oil lamp, kills self
and two brothers . . . young-
sters alone in barn playing with
matches, die in flaming hay-
stack . . brother and sister
unattended in nursery, caught
in blaze caused by electric heat-
, er . . year-old baby killed in
stove fire while mother outside
. boy lighting waste papers
in garage, smothered by gas-
es ... ybuth cooking on faulty
stove kills self and five other
brothers and sisters.
Parent's who go out have a
duty to their children, to the
community and to themselves to
see that the youngsters are
properly • looked after.
Get Advice of Fire Chief
The heartening acceptance of
this obligation in homes across
the land is reflected by the fact
that baby-sitting has become
more than a casual occupation
for many people. It has even
developed into a regular pro-
fession.
The Fire Chief has informa-
tion on child protection. If you
do a fair amount of baby sit-
ting, call him. He'll be ,delight-
ed to hear that you mean busi-
ness, and that, like him, you
are deeply concerned with the
welfare of your charges.
OPP Releases
Area Statistics
Highway statistics for the
month of August for District 6
of the Ontario Provincial Po-
lice,)were released this week by
OPP Constable Al. Bowering, of
the Seaforth detachment. The
first column shows the total for
District 6, consisting of Huron,
Bruce, Grey, Wellington, Water-
loo and Perth, and the second
column, in brackets, the total
for the sections of the prov-
ince policed by the force:
Motor vehicle accidents, 205
(2,846); fatal accidents, 10 (101)
persons killed, 16 (131); persons
injured, 65 (1,491); vehicles
checked, 4,244 (59,055); warn-
ings issued, 1,155 (24,849);
charges preferred, 1,153 (15,-
972); registration and permits,
33 (512); licences: temporary,
chauffeurs and operators, 64
(865); garage and storage lic-
ences, 0 (4); defective equip-
ment, 129 (1,621); weight, load -
and size, 17 (483); rate of speed,
487 (7,284); rules of the road,
293 (3,579); careless driving,
72 (857); fail to, report acci-
dent, 6 (71); other charges,
HTA, 7 (124); criminal negli-
gence, 0 (1); dangerous driv-
ing, 4 (45); fail to remain at
scene, 2 (46); drive while in-
toxicated, 3 (77); ability
paired, 24 (261); drive while
prohibited, 8 (121); fail to re-
main at scene, Sec. 143, H.T.A.,
4 (21); uniform strength, 143
(1,935).
Ten years ago the moon was
an inspiration to lovers and
poets. Ten years from now it
will be just another airport.
October lth to 13th is Fire
Prevention Week. This week is
observed each, year, in an at-
tempt to educate our citizens in
the ways of Fire Safety and
thus cut down the annual toll
in life and property.
That such education is neces-
sary is obvious from two facts:
Fire in Canada in 1961 cost
Canadians over $127,000,000 in
property loss and over 550 lives,
of which over 200 were chil-
dren.
Learn all you can about Fire
Safety and put what your learn
into practice—every day!
Here are some pointers from
the Canadian Underwriters''As-
sociation that you will find use-
ful: -
Care with matches and smok-
ing should certainly rank top
of the list. These familiar ob-
jects are not so innocent when
it comes to fire. Do 'you know
that, last year, they caused one
out of every four fires in the
nation?
Because smoking and matches
are so treacherous from the
standpoint of fire safety, care
with them should be your first
consideration,- You know how a
cigarette is put aside while the
smoker goes to answer a call
at the door, or to look for the
television program guide. It's
so easy to forget—and so dan-
gerous. 'Sometimes at a party,
a cigarette tips off the ash tray
and down out of sight in the up-
holstery. It can smoulder there
unnoticed . for hours. Later—
maybe after everybody's "safe
in bed"—fire strikes the un-
guarded home.
Of course, you know people
should never smoke in bed. But
smoking is equally dangerous
in an armchair if the smoker
feels the least bit drowsy. He
may doze off and if he is for-
tunate he may be awakened by
flames or smoke. Too often,
however, the dozing smoker is
rendered unconscious before he
awakens, and so becomes an-
other fire fatality.
Now a word about matches—
if only people. wouldn't bo so
careless about them. So often
they toss a match into a waste-
basket. That's an invitation to
big trouble. And too often
** '
Saluting Our Loyal Firemei'i
*
FIRE PREVENTION WEEK
* *
OCTOBER 7-13
* * *
"... defective elec-
tric wiring - -
How many times have you.
noticed the above report-
ed as the cause of serious
fires? Have you ever giv-
en any thought as toasafe-
ty of your own wiring—in
your home, your office, or
your factory?
ELECTRICITY IS SAFE AND RELIABLE!
When Proper Observance is Given to These Simple Rules:
1. See that all wiring extensions are carried out
by qualified and experienced wiring contractors.
This insures final check -pp by the Wiring In-
spector of the Hydro -Electric Power Commis-
sion of Ontario.
2. Never use fuses larger than 15 amperes on
branch circuits in your house.
3. Don't "plug" fuses by inserting coins behind
them. The fuse serves similarly to the safety
valve of a boiler.
4. Make frequent inspection of flexible cords.
5. Don't hang any electric wire on nails. Don't
tack extension cords to baseboards or walls.
6. Keep electrical heating devices away from combustibles. •
7. Keep: lamps away from clothing, papers, etc.
8. Never use iron, toaster orilamps as bed warmers.
9. Install ponvenience outlets to avoid excessive Lengths of extension cords.
10. NEVER USE GASOLINE IN YOUR ELECTRIC WASHER!
Violation of These Rules, Resulting in Fire, May Invalidate Your
Fire Insurance Policy.
We welcome this opportun-
ity of co-operating in the
observance - of Fire Preven-
tion Week
SEAFORTH
'PUBLIC UTILITY
COMMISSION
r�vi nt on
matches and lighters are left
where theyilj intrigue children,
instead of being placed safely
out of reach of those innocent
hands. Children playing with
matches often cause fires, but
it's the adults, not the children,
who are really responsible for
such fires. ••
There's no doubt that it's the
adults who are responsible for
bad housekeeping, which sim-
ply creates fire hazards by the
dozens. We permit trash to ac-
cumulate in attics and base-
ments. Old ,newspa`ers, clothes
and upholstered furniture are
left lying around the house. In-
stead of throwing it out, we
leave this rubbish there—handy
fuel for many a big fire. A
little systematic cleaning up of
such odds and ends would pre-
vent this type of fire.
And in the kitchen too, this
bad housekeeping menace often
shows up. Grease is permitted
to accumulate on stoves and
pans, where it can burst into
flame readily. Incidentally, it's
a good idea to keep a long -
handled fork handy should a
pan catch fire, in that case the
blaze can be quickly extinguish-
ed by liftir4g a lid with the fork
and covering and -• smothering
the flame.
Another great cause of fire—
one in five fires in fact, accord-
ing to the Canadian Underwrit-
ers' Association—is the misuse
of electricity. Some peophi use
too many extension cords from
their outlets and easily overload
the circuit. They put in 'fuses
that are larger than the line
was designed for. They run ex-
tension cords under carpeting
and hang them over nails so
the cords become frayed. Fray-
ed,wiring represents an open
initation to' fire. If there is
any doubt about the safety of
the wiring in your home, call
in a qualified electrician and
have him check it out.
Even when the fire does
break out, the toll in lives and
property would often be reduc-
ed if people were familiar with
the proper steps to take. Basic-
ally they are simple steps. First:
get everybody out of the house!
Then: call the fire department!
Delay on either of these moves
has often proved costly.
The best way to save lives in
case of fire, say the , "Under-
writers", is to have an escape
plan already worked out. Fire
strikes 'without warning and it
tends to breed panic, unless
people are disciplined to pro-
ceed from any part of the house
to the nearest -and safest exit,
And to do this, they must know
the way in advance. So don't
delay setting up an escape plan
in your,house. Here's how it is
done:
Figure put two possible es-
cape routes to the ground from
any upstairs room. This way, if
one of the routes is cut by
fire, you will have an alternate
exit. Every • member of • the
family—and also visitors and
baby-sitters—should be' famil-
iare,with the escape routes. Re-
member, this is the why to
save lives!
Suppose one night you are
awakened by the smell of
smoke. Don't dash to open the
door to your bedrooni. First,
place your hand against the
door. If it feels hot, it may
mean that flame and hot or.
poisonous gases are already
nearing the door.
If the door does not feel hot,
:Mother, Children
Die When Fire
Strikes Home'
All too tragically familiar to
.tlie'Canadian newspaper reader
is this kind of headline, Mul-
tiple fire deaths last year. in
Canada and the U.S.•reached a
record. high of 982 casualties.
"Study of 1961 reports on the
subject by the fire marshals and
commissioners of the provinces
confirm international observa-
tipns by the National Fire Pro-
tection Association.
'More than half of the vic-
tims died because the fire had
made so much headway before
discovery that normal escape
routes were blocked. Others
were trapped because no alter-
nate escape routes had 'been
planned.
Hours Of Night Bring Death
About 85 per cent of fhe fires
occurred between 8 p.m. and 8
a.m., with the peak between
midnight and 6 a.m., when many
victims were asleep. The hour
between 3 and 4 a.m. is prom:
inent in Canadian reports. The
living room was the • starting
point of almost half the fires,
but nearly 80 per cent of the
victims were overcome in their
bedrooms.
Most dangerous months of the
year are December and Jan*,
ary, when early 40 per cent of
the residential multiple -death
fires occurred, This is the sea-
son when heating equipment is
pushed hardest.
No Respecter of Victims
An expensive home is no
deterrent. .-While more than
half, the multiple -death t age -
dies took place in homes which
would be classed as "modest"
or sub -standard, 30 per cent
were valued at $10,000 or more,
and about 13 per cent were
worth $20,000 or more.
ares
brace the door with your foot
while you open it slightly. Keep
your head away from the open-
ing. If the hallway seems to
be cool and there are no flames
or smoke pouring up the stair-
way, you may be able to use
it as an escape route, However,
if there is any question about
safe passage, close the bedroom
door, go to the 'window, and
call for help. If there is a
phone in the room, use it to
call the fire department. Do
not jump except as -a last re-
sort; you may injure yourself
needlessly.
If it becomes necessary to
jump, first drop bedding and
pillows, or anything else soft,
FRIENDS, NEIGHBORS ENTERTAIN
FOR OCTOBER BRIDE-TO-BE
Mrs. Albert Clarke entertain-
ed at a trousseau tea at her
home Saturday, in honor of her
daughter, Mona. The guests
Were received by Mona, her
mother, and Mrs. John Hutton,
mother of the groom -elect.
Brenda Nesbitt was in charge
of the guest book. -
The dining room table was
covered with a lace tablecloth,
centred with an arrangement of
autumn flowers and tall pink
candles. A three-tier wedding
cake was displayed on the buf-
fet.
Mrs. Alda Jervis and Mrs. Ev-
elyn Carter, aunts of the bride -
elect poured tea during the af-
ternoon. In the evening, Mrs.
John Fleet and Mrs. Jessie Cous-
land, Palmerston, grandmother
and aunt of the groon}-elect,
were in charge of pouring tea.
Serving in the tea room were
former grade Leight pupils of
the bride -elect — in the after-
noon, Bonnie barker and Di-
anne Rose, and in the evening,
Esther Wickie and Dorothy
served the guests. The wedding
and shower gifts were display-
ed by Carol Robertson, of
Monkton. The trousseau was
shown by Eileen Williamson,
Alexene Williamson and Gloria
Carter displayed the china and
silver. Jessie Little showed the
linens and bedding. Assisting,in
the kitchen were Mrs: Roy Wil=
liarnson, Mrs. Clifford Hoegy,
Mrs. George Williamson, Mrs.
Glen Corlett, Mrs. Herbert Wil-
liamson and Mrs. Michael Mc-
Grath.
Guests were present from Lis-
towel, Palmerston, Monkton, At-
wood, Mitchell, Stratford, Kit-
chener, Seaforth, Blyth, Brus-
sels, Cranbrook, Moncrieff and
Walton.
Mrs. George Nesbitt, Blyth,
was ,hostess at her home .Satur-
day evening for a shower in
honor of her niece, Mona Clarke,
whose marriage takes place ear-
ly in October. Contests and
music combined to make a very
enjoyable evening. The bride -
elect was the recipient of many
lovely gifts.
An address was read by Mrs.
Michael McGrath and the gifts
were carried in by cousins of
the bride -elect. Mona thanked
all for the gifts, and a delicious
lunch was served by the hos-
tess.
On Tuesday evening the la-
dies of the 17th and Boundary
Group of Walton were in
charge of a shower for Mona
Clarke, held in the Commun-
ity Hall in Walton. Court whist
was played during the evening,
following which Mona was call-
ed to the front and was pres-
ented with many lovely gifts.
Ruth Ritchie read the address,
after which Mona Ithanked the
ladies and invited •all to come
to her trousseau tea on Satur-
day. A delicious lunch was
served and a social half-hour
spent.
There were at the movies and
during an intense love scene she
'nudged her husband and asked,
"Why is it you never kiss 'me
like that?"
"Listen," he snapped, "do you
know how much they have to
pay that fellow for doing it?"
to the ground to cushion your
landing. Then, carefully lower
yourself from the window sill,
to reduce the distance to the
ground, and drop onto the
cushioning.
People should never leave
children alone in a, house. When
they go out they should be sure
the baby-sitter knows that in
an emergency she seuld get the
children out first, then call -the
fire department and then notify
the parents. Before leaving for
their evening out, they should
caution the baby-sitter against
letting the children play with
matches or electrical appli-
ances; tell her to keep the chil-
dren away from the kitchen, if
possible; and instruct her to
look in on the children regu-
larly to be sure everything is
all right.
Fire damage to lives and pro-
perty can be reduced by simple
precautions. But each and ev-
eryone of us must assume a
share of the responsibility for
fire safety if we are to put an
end to this senseless suffering,
and waste. This week — Fire
Prevention Week — is a good
time to start.
For Safety's Sake
DON'T DRY-CLEAN AT HOME!
You can't trust home
cleaning! Fluids are
dangerous! Don't risk
your life to save
pennies! Our profes-
sional dry cleaning is
safe, thorough,
economical!
Any dry-
cleaning
fluid can
start a big
fire! Be
careful!
Never keep
dry-cleaning
Yuid in
your home!
FREE
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AND'
DELIVERY
FLANNERY CLEANERS
PHONE 87 — SEAFORTH
Does parky Live in OurTown?
Of course you know he famous SPARKY by
now! You know • he the; symbol of fire pre-
vention and, most likely, you already know
some or all of his rules. But does- the spirit of
this nationally famous 'symbol really live in
our town?
Does each of us know as much as we should
about protecting our homes and families from
fire? Do we cooperate with our Fire Depart-
ment in its fire prevention programs? Are our
children being fully educated to both the ,uses
and the dangers of fire? '
Scientific advances on so many fronts today
stagger our powers of belief. Yet in some ways
we are not keeping pace. We have to be.urged
to vote. We have to be urged to visit our doctor
and dentist, We have to be urged to' drive
safely. And, yes, we even have to be urged to
learn how to be careful of one of our oldest
tools—fire.
Some good rules to remember are: Don't smoke in bed—Keep matches away fromt-young
children—Don't overload your wiring system—Check electric cords for fraying—Clean out junk
from your attic and basement—Be careful with lighted cigarette;—Learn to use your oil stove
correctly—Watch out for sparking chimneys—Don't use flammable cleaning fluids=don't use.
ordinary extension cords on heaters or irons! Most of all, remember what Sparky says.
1.
DON'T GIVE FIRE A PLACE TO START!
If Fire Should Strike -'his Is What to Do
When fire is discovered, even though it ap-
pears to be small, don't delay, but call the Sea-
fbrth telephone operator immediately and ask
for 100.
2. Don't panic! Speak slowly and distinctly, giv-
ing your name and location., If a, rural fire,
give name, Township, Lot and Concession, lo-
cation of fire and best route from Seaforth.'
3. Do not leave the telephrne until you have giv-
en all the necessary information.
4. If a rural fire, alert your neighbors and at
the same time request them to bring water in
any container available at the time. If pos-'
sible, stress upon the necessity of keeping
roads clear for passage of fire truck.
5. Remember that when the fire truck arrives at
the scene of the fire, the Fire Chief is in full
command.
JOHN F. SCOTT, ' Fire , Chief, Town of Seaforth
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