Fire Safety Week is coming up soon, October 7–13, and Niverville’s fire chief, Keith Bueckert, has an important message to convey.
“This time of year is very important for us to get through the message to the community about fire safety,” says Bueckert. “We need to reiterate to people that they need to check to make sure their smoke alarms are working. It’s that cut and dry. If you’re living in an older home that has battery-operated smoke alarms, we have at the fire hall ten-year smoke alarms that we will come and install in your home for free. And you don’t have to do anything with them for ten years except test them twice a year. The earlier people know that something is going on in the house, the better, and that’s a big thing for us during fire safety week.”
According to Bueckert, it’s also important for people to understand the trend in fire intensity. With the newer homes that are being built in our communities today, both in terms of their construction techniques and the type of furniture we choose to put inside them, fires now are burning much hotter and faster than in the past.
“Construction techniques have gone from more of a dimensional lumber to more of a pressed board and synthetized sort of wood,” he says. “Poly solvents and hydrocarbons are being used to produce cheaper furniture… When these things light up, they produce black smoke that is unburnt fuel, and when that fuel gets hot enough it actually catches fire, too. So it’s a very, very quick and fast-burning environment.”
Bueckert points out that in older homes, fires would take upward of 20 to 25 minutes to fully engulf a room.
“Now you’re getting all these synthetic materials, and these rooms are reaching full ignition in under five minutes,” he says about the urgency needed to react quickly to an alarm. “They say now that by the time your smoke alarm goes off, you have under two minutes to get out of your house. And it’s not the fire that’s going to get you, it’s the large quantities of smoke.”
On October 9, members of the fire department will visit Niverville Elementary School and make presentations to classes. Students will go home with fire safety information to review with their families, and the classroom that returns that largest number of signed review forms will win a pizza party. Students will also be entered into a draw to earn an individual prize. In the past, this prize has been a Nintendo DS, although Bueckert says this year’s prize hasn’t yet been determined.
“We also have our annual open house on October 9 at the fire hall, from 5:30–7:30 p.m.,” adds Bueckert. “We’re having a toonie supper to support Helping Hands, and we’re collecting food for Helping Hands that day as well, too. This year’s toonie supper will be farmer sausage burgers and hot dogs, with chips and a drink.”
Turnout in past years has been good, and Bueckert hopes to see lots of community members out this year.
