Banff, AB – Location matters when it comes to your smoke alarm. That’s the message behind this year’s Fire Prevention Week campaign, “Hear the Beep Where You Sleep. Every Bedroom Needs a Working Smoke Alarm!”
The Banff Fire Department is joining forces with the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) during Fire Prevention Week, October 4 – 10, to remind residents about the importance of having working smoke alarms in the home. Firefighters will visit local schools during the week to promote fire safety, and host an open house and pancake breakfast at the Banff Fire Hall on Saturday, October 10, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
“In a fire, seconds count,” said Fraser Kirby, fire prevention officer. “Half of home fire deaths result from fires reported at night between 11 p.m. and 7 a.m. when most people are asleep. Home smoke alarms can alert people to a fire before it spreads, giving everyone enough time to get out.”
This year’s Fire Prevention Week campaign reminds residents to:
• Install smoke alarms in every bedroom, outside each separate sleeping area and on every level of the home, including the basement.
• Interconnect all smoke alarms throughout the home. This way, when one sounds, they all do.
• Test alarms at least once a month by pushing the test button.
• Replace all smoke alarms when they are 10 years old or sooner if they don’t respond properly.
• Make sure everyone in the home knows the sound of the smoke alarm and understands what to do when they hear it.
• Get outside and stay outside if the smoke alarm sounds. Go to your outside meeting place.
• Call the fire department from outside the home.
To find out more about Fire Prevention Week programs and activities in Banff, visit banff.ca or contact the Town of Banff Fire Department at 403.762.1256. Visit NFPA’s website at www.firepreventionweek.org and www.sparky.org/fpw.