The Huron Expositor, 1998-10-07, Page 11THE HURON EXPOSITOR, OCTOBER 7, 1-11
Fire Prevention
Week, Oct. 4-10
escape
plan now
and practice
it regularly.
Make sure that
every family
member knows
two ways out.
Jim Sills, secretary/treasurer of the Seaforth Firefighters' Association, receives a cheque
for $4,000 from Dave Deighton, president of the association and John Cairns, chair of
the department's special events committee. The funds were raised for muscular
dystrophy at a recent toll road held by the department. Seaforth firefighters have now
raised a total of $38,000 toward muscular dystrophy agencies.
HILGENDORFF PHOTO
A floor plan with escape routes can keep families safe
but it's important to hold fire drills for the whole family
Draw a floor plan of your
entire home. Show all possible
exits from each room. Know two
ways out of every room,
especially bedrooms. If you live
in a multi -story apartment
building, neap out as many
routes as possible to eXit
stairways on your floor and
other floors of the building. If
one of our escape routes is a
second or third story window,
consider investing in a safety
ladder. Check your local
hardware stores. If you live in a
high rise building, plan to use
the stairways. Never use the
elevators to escape a fire.
Elevators may become trapped
between floors or take you
directly to the fire.
Practice with
a home fire drill
Once you've• sketched out
your escape plan and discussed
it with your family and
neighbors, practice. Involve
every member of the household..
Start your home fire drill with
everyone in their beds,. doors
closed. One person sounds the
alarm. Each person touches their
door. Pretend the door is cool
and practice your escape route.
Pretend the door is hot and
practice the alternate escape.
Meet outside at the assigned
spot.
Discuss the escape plan
with your family
It's important to go over your
fire escape plan with your family
or with your landlord and
neighbours.
Make sure everyone in your
family knows the telephone
number of the fire department.
Carefully explain the following
procedures:
1. Sleep with your bedroom
doors closed at night. A closed
door will help slow the spread of
a deadly fire, smoke and heat.
When following your escape
route, be sure to close doors
behind you.
2. The smoke alarm will sound
to wake you and your family.
You can also develop a special
signal that all family members
will understand to mean
"danger." You might use a
whistle or bang on the wall. Use
this signal only in emergencies
3. When you hear the alarm,
roll out of bed to the floor. Get
down on your hands and knees,
crawl to your door and touch it.
Don't stop for clothes,
documents, jewelry, etc.
4. If you door feels hot when'
you touch it, do not open it.
Don't panic. Stop and think
before you start. Escape out the
window or use your alternate
route.
5. If you can't leave your room
or apartment, seal the cracks
around the door and vents as
best you can, using wet towels if
possible. Open a window at both
the top and bottom. Stay low by
the window to breathe the fresh
air. If there's'a phone, call the
fire department and tell them
exactly where you are in the
building. Shout for help and
signal your position by waving a
bright cloth, towel or sheet.
6. If your clothes catch fire,
Properly used smoke alarms
can save lives if there's fire
Smoke detectors save
lives. You will
not smell the smoke from
a fire when you are
asleep. The poisonous
gases which are present in
the smoke will put you
into a deeper sleep.
During a fire, the
smoke alarm will sound
and give you the time you
need to escape. A
working smoke detector
cuts y our risk of dying in
a house fire in half.
Be sure to buy won that
is approved by the
Underwriter's Laboratory
of Canada or the
Canadian Standards
Association.
Ionization smoke alarms
Ionization smoke
alarms use a small
amount of radioactive
material to create an
electric current throuYh
ionized air. When smoke
enters the detection
IEDRTH
IMBING
EATING
L 0505
chamber, it impedes or
reduces the flow of
current and causes the
alarm to sound.
Photoelectric smoke
alarms
Photoelectric smoke
alarms use a light.source
and a photocell. When
smoke enters the
detection chamber, it
scatters the light beam
deflecting it to the
photocell and causes the
alarm to sound.
Proper care and use of
alarms is necessary
Be sure ever one
y
sleeping in the home can
hear the alarm, even with
the bedroom door closed.
If not, install an
additional detector inside
the bedroom. Because
smoke rises, mount
detectors high on a wall
or ceiling. A ceiling
detector should be
attached at least four
KIDS
KLOZE
527-2320
inches from the nearest
wall.
Test all your smoke
detectors monthly and
install new batteries at
least once a year.
When clocks are set
ahead or back each year,
use that as a reminder to
change your batteries too.
Gently vacuum your
alarm every six months.
Dust and cobwebs reduce
its sensitivity to smoke.
Never paint a smoke
detector. You should
replace any smoke
detectors that are more
than 10 years old.
Make sure your whole
family is familiar with the
sound of your smoke
alarm. Plan your escape
routes. Crawl low and
under smoke. If you must
escape through an area
with smoke, crawl to the
nearest safe exit. Smoke
and poisonous gases rise.
SEAFORTH
INSURANCE
BROKERS LTD.
527-1610
stop where you are. drop to the
ground and roll over and over to
put the flame out. Do not run..
Running will only increase the
-flames.
• 7. Teach small children never
to hide under beds or in closets.
Take your children to the fire
department to sec the 'equipment
and protective gear 'firefighters
use so they won't he frightened
of fire fighters during,a rescue.
8. Gaither at the predetermined
meeting place outside your
home,- well away from the
building and take a head count.
Once•outside. stay outside. After
you've all met, send someone to
got, to a neighbor's house'and
phone the fire department. Meet
the fire trucks and tell the
firefighters whether or not.
.everyone is out of the house.
By planning and practicing
your home fire escape plan, you
can protect yourself andyouur
family from a home fire. But the
hest protection is prevention.
If you plan to use a window as a ,!,`" w
second way out in a fire,
make sure it can be
Credit Union opened easily!
GETOUTp
WHITNEY RIBEY
FUNERAL HOME
527-1390
KEATING
PHARMACY
527-1990
HILIERR. \1)
FLOC' FRS &
(; IF 'S
527-0555
STEDMANS
V&S
527-1950
Tremeer
Commercial
Printers
527-1640
TMP
527-2291
THE TOWN
OF '
SEAFORTH
SEP.!
Public Utilities
Commisssion
SEAFORTH
AUTOMOTIVE
527-0880
IZLLr:h3
527-2911
Mom's Pzzt
• & Subs
527-2323
PETE'S
PAPER
CLIP
527-1681
Seaforth
Sewing
Centre
527-1900
MIDDEGAAL
POOLS &
SPORTS
527-0104
527-0770
NIFTY
KORNERS
527-1680
A
A