The Lake Country Fire Department has been actively involved in community outreach initiatives to keep residents safe from fire and preventable injuries. Besides open house events and school education programs, during 2024 the firefighters were installing smoke alarms in various targeted areas of the community, where the style or age of the dwellings was not likely to have a hard-wired smoke detector. The Office of the Fire Commissioner initiated a smoke alarm campaign partnering with the BC Injury Research and Prevention Unit, supplying local fire departments with the smoke alarms for areas of the community.
Everyone knows the mantra “Working smoke alarms save lives” but Wednesday morning this was proven true in one Lake Country neighbourhood.
“Lake Country crews were dispatched to reports of smoke in a residence at 5:57 a.m. this morning in the 14000 block of Pelmewash Parkway,” said Deputy Fire Chief Kynan O’Rourke. “Upon arrival, crews found the single occupant outside of the home with a neighour who had extinguished the growing fire inside of a constructed room leading to the residence. The stairs leading to the residence were moments away from igniting due to the fire below them, which may have impeded the ability to escape from the structure using the main egress.”
During the October Fire Prevention Month campaign, LCFD members worked with homeowners to install a working smoke alarm inside their home and any add-on rooms attached to residential structures. Developing escape plans and safety plans for homes was also part of the campaign. It is very important for everyone to plan for a secondary means of escape in the event of a fire in your primary exit path. “I truly believe that without the Fire Commissioner’s smoke alarm program that resulted in LCFD members installing a working smoke alarm in this home, the severity of this incident would have been greater,” said O’Rourke. “This morning’s response crews completed a full inspection of the single level home and used thermal imagery to look for extensions and any other area that may have become impacted by the fire.”
As LCFD firefighters visited neighbourhoods during their Food Bank donation collection initiative last weekend, they left behind door hanger messaging with Winter Fire Safety Tips including the following key messages they would like to emphasize to everyone:
- Test your smoke alarms and tell guests about your home fire escape plan
- Stay in the kitchen when cooking on the stovetop
- Blow out lit candles when you leave the room or go to bed; and keep children, pets, and combustible decorations away from lit candles
- Turn off all light strings and decorations before leaving home or going to bed
- Close the bedroom door when you go to bed (this creates a survivable space during a fire)
And remember to share the mantra: Working smoke alarms save lives!
For more information on the OFC program initiatives, please visit the link below.