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Huron Expositor, 2001-10-03, Page 71111 HURON EXPOSITOR, October 3, 2001-7 Tips that could save your life Cooking fires GREASE FIRES: Always keep a potholder, oven mitt and lid handy. If a small grease fire starts in a pan, put on an oven mitt and smother the flames by carefully sliding the lid over the pan. Turn off the burner. Don't remove the lid until it is completely cool. Never pour water on a grease fire and never discharge a fire extinguisher onto a pan fire, as it can spray or shoot burning grease around the kitchen, actually spreading the fire. OVEN FIRES: Turn off the heat and keep the door closed to prevent flames from burning you and your clothing. MICROWAVE FIRES: Keep the door closed and unplug the microwave. CaII the fire department and make sure to have the oven serviced before you use it again. Food cooked in a microwave can be dangerously hot. Remove the lids or other coverings from microwaved food carefully to prevent steam burns. Use care with space heaters Keep portable and space heaters at least 3 feet (1 m) from anything that can burn. Never leave heaters on when you leave home or go to bed and keep children and pets well away from them. 4� In a fire Have an escape plan that includes two ways out of each room and a meeting place outside the home. Practice it with the whole family at least twice a year. If you encounter smoke on your way out of a fire, use your second way out instead. If you must escape through smoke, crawl low under the smoke to your exit. If your clothes catch on fire, stop where you are, drop to the ground, cover your face with your hands and roll over and over to smother the flames. Handling burns If someone gets If the burn blisters or burned, place the chars, see a doctor wound in cool water for immediately. 10 - 15 minutes. Carbon monoxide detectors needed to prevent a more common cause of death By Don Warden President, Canadian Association of Fire Chiefs Over the last few years, the issue of carbon monoxide poisoning in the home has become much more of a public safety issue. This is partly because domestic carbon monoxide detectors first came onto the market in the early 1990s, partly because more and more homeowners are choosing natural gas as their preferred heating source, and partly because medical science hos been better able to pinpoint CO as the probable cause of death in what used to be suspected cases of flu, or even "natural causes". But in my experience as a Fire Chief, there are still a lot of Canadians who are somewhat skeptical of the danger of carbon monoxide. They suspect that it's all a bunch of hype being promoted by CO detector manufacturers, and even by fire departments trying to justify their municipal budgets. Well, I can.assure you that CO is not a bunch of hype. It's true that there are fewer and fewer injuries or deaths each year in Canada that are the cause of carbon monoxide poisoning. Why? Because approximately 35% of Canadian homeowners have done the right thing and equipped their homes with CO detectors. But CO detectors have not made the problem of CO contamination go away. They can't stop CO from leaking -but they do provide a warning that may save you or a loved one from serious injury or death. CO is not the same as natural gas. You can't see it, taste it, or smell it. You won't know it's there unless you have the presence of mind to recognize the symptoms - headache, nausea, dizziness, fatigue, but no fever. Or, unless you have a CO detector. How does CO contamination occur? The actual causes of CO are relatively complex, but there are many things that can cause a CO leak. The three main causes in domestic situations: - malfunctioning fuel - burning appliances such as furnace, water -heater, gas stove - improper venting of gases into outside air - blocked chimney or furnace flue - vehicles left running in attached or nearby garage How serious is CO poisoning? The stronger the CO leak, and the longer the exposure, the greater the danger. For example, a person breathing relatively moderate contamination of 200 parts per million over 3 hours - watching a hockey game on a Saturday night, for example - would be feeling quite sick. ' Over six hours that situation could be life- threatening. So do yourself, your family, your neighbours - and your local Fire Department - a big favour. Get your fuel -burning appliances checked regularly. And get yourself a carbon monoxide detector. It's not a myth to say it could save your life. Fire chiefs support safer communities program Fire Chiefs from across Canada have agreed unanimously to support the Partnerships Toward Safer Communities Initiative. That decision was reached at the annual conference of the Canadian Association of Fire Chiefs (CAFC) last month in London, Ontario. "No question that the recent terrorist attacks in New York and Washington have caused all Canadians to see that the security of their communities cannot be taken for granted" Fire Chief Donald Warden observed. "But the Partnership Toward Safer Communities Initiative," he explained, "had its genesis in another modern-day disaster, the Bhophal, India accident." Chief Warden is CAFC's President. The objective of the Partnerships Toward Safer Communities program is to assist municipalities seeking to improve their emergency management resources. "The key is improving cooperation between emergency responders, industry and other stakeholders at the local level", Chief Warden said. To date, the only Province to adopt the Partnership Toward Safer Communities Initiative is Ontario. Emergency Measures Ontario, together with Environment Canada and Transport Canada are working closely with CAFC to promote expansion of the Initiative nationally. Strong private sector support has come from the Canadian Chemical Producers Association, the Canadian Petroleum Products Institute and the Canadian Fertilizer Institute. CAFC's President -Elect, Ken Kelly, congratulated these public and private sector organizations for their support. "By working with the Fire Services, they have showed their deep commitment to the concept that effective emergency planning starts at the community level," Fire Chief Kelly stated. 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