A Chatham-Kent Fire Department truck. (Photo by Allanah Wills)A Chatham-Kent Fire Department truck. (Photo by Allanah Wills)
Chatham

Fire Prevention Week in Chatham-Kent

Chatham-Kent Fire and Emergency Services are reminding residents to be prepared in case of a fire.

The slogan for this year's Fire Prevention Week is "Not every hero wears a cape. Plan & practice your escape!"

Public Educator Whitney Burk said it's important to make an escape plan for your home and to practice it.

"Most people have never had a fire drill in their home, and they should, because the more we practice the better we're going to be at it. Hopefully, we never have to use that plan. But if we do, everybody in the household will know what to do, and where to meet. That's important, have a meeting place outside," she said. "We are visiting schools across Chatham-Kent," said Burk. "All of our 19 stations are going to be doing different activities from open houses, as well as doing door-to-door, and visiting residents to remind them to check their alarms, as well as to practice their home escape plans."

Assistant Fire Chief Chris Case said they just want to keep everyone safe.

"It can happen in your home. We see people every day who say 'I never thought it would happen to me.' And we're trying to get people to understand that it could happen, and when it does we want to make sure that everybody is safe. That's all that we're looking for," he said.

Firefighters will also come to your home to check that your smoke alarms are working and in the correct location.

"Firefighters will come to your home, and they'll check to make sure that your alarms are working," said Case. "They'll check the date, which is important, smoke alarms do expire. They'll discuss with you about home escape planning, and the best thing about it is they do show up with a fire truck. If you have young children, it's like your own personal tour."

You can book a CHiRP check by contacting the fire department through their website at http://ckfes.ca/. You can also reach out to them on social media, or give them a call at 519-360-1998 or email them at ckfire@chatham-kent.ca.

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