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Fire Prevention Week is about more than adults checking batteries, chargers and smoke alarms. Local fire officials say getting children involved can help turn fire safety into something the entire family thinks about.
Perth Fire Chief Trevor Choffe told myFM that local students will be helping spread some of those reminders at home.
Choffe says parents should not be surprised if their children come home asking questions about smoke alarms or wanting to talk about how the family would escape a fire.
Smiths Falls Fire Prevention Officer Jason Smith says those conversations can be simple.
Sitting around the dinner table and asking children what they would do if a fire started in their room can help families think through a plan before an emergency happens.
Smith says families should identify two ways out when possible and choose an outdoor meeting place where everyone knows to gather.
Children can also help remind adults about another basic job — testing smoke and carbon monoxide alarms.
This year’s Fire Prevention Week runs Oct. 4 to 10.
Families can find more Fire Prevention Week information, activities and safety resources through the National Fire Protection Association at NFPA.org/firepreventionweek.
The message from both departments across Lanark County is simple: fire safety works better when everybody in the house has a role — including the kids.
