Firefighters were out in full force Saturday, but they weren’t fighting fires.
Instead members of the Pictou County Firefighters Association joined together to raise awareness about what they do as a kick off for Fire Prevention Week in the province.
“We are doing a show and shine here and a parade to start it off and then all individual departments will have an open house sometime through the week,” said Trenton Fire Chief Wayne Alain who is also chair of the Pictou County Firefighters Association.
In addition to these activities, fire departments will be attending local church services together as well as responding to fire drills at Pictou County schools.
It is all about awareness, he said, but it is also an opportunity for people interested in volunteering to come and learn more what is involved in firefighting.
“Our (Trenton) membership is not bad, but some departments are struggling with numbers,” he said. “If anyone is interested, contact a department.
This year, fire prevention week will take place across the province from Oct. 7 to13 and Nova Scotians are reminded of essential steps around how to escape safely in the event of a fire.
This year’s theme is: Look. Listen. Learn. Be Aware. Fire can happen anywhere.
“Every year in Nova Scotia, there are a number of house fires caused by heating equipment,” said Chuck Porter, Minister of Municipal Affairs. “It is important to have heating equipment and chimneys cleaned and inspected every year by a qualified person.”
Here are some fire safety tips:
• look around your home for places fires could start. Identify and eliminate potential fire hazards
• listen for the sound of a smoke alarm and take it seriously. Once a smoke alarm sounds, there could be just minutes to escape safely. Go to a pre-arranged meeting place discussed in your home fire escape plan
•learn two ways out of every room and make sure all doors and windows leading outside open easily and are free of clutter
Fire prevention week is also a good time to test smoke alarms, replace batteries and ensure the device hasn’t expired.
“Roughly three out of five fire deaths happen in homes with no working smoke alarms,” said Fred Jeffers, Nova Scotia’s Fire Marshal. “Smoke alarms are a key part of a home fire escape plan.”
For more information on fire prevention visit the Office of the Fire Marshal website at https://novascotia.ca/dma/firesafety/fireprevention.asp .