Don't wait, check the date. That will be theme for this year's fire prevention week, and the focus at the Bonnyville Regional Fire Authority's (BRFA) annual open house.
For two decades now, the local fire department has been hosting the open house to bring fire safety knowledge to the community. On Oct. 11 they'll be carrying on the tradition, with the message of replacing smoke detectors every 10 years.
“What we're pushing this year is that smoke alarms have a life expectancy, so check the manufacture date... People should get in the habit of replacing them every 10 years. If you look at new smoke alarms now they actually have a replacement date marked on the outside,” explained fire chief Brian McEvoy. “The one I replaced in my house, I did so about a year ago, and it says right on the outside ‘replace in 2025.' There's a lot of homes with smoke alarms that are 10, 20, 25 years old. In 10 years, the failure rate increases exponentially.”
From 4 p.m. to 8 p.m., residents will be able to head down to the Bonnyville fire hall, get information on smoke detectors, and learn more about how the fire department operates. There will be displays from various local groups associated with the department, such as the 911 dispatch centre and fire restoration agencies. As always, the open house is a chance to grab some free barbecue and meet the local firefighters.
“I would encourage people to come out for two reasons. One is for the information and knowledge they'll gain about fire safety, smoke alarms and home fire safety planning. The other is to meet the firefighters and show support for what an extremely dedicated group of volunteers do for the community,” said McEvoy.
Since starting the open house 20 years ago, attendance at the annual event has gone from around 100 people to averaging well over 1,000 attendees each year.
While the reasons for the evening is to promote fire prevention, McEvoy noted the open house is also a great recruiting tool for them and allows the department to give the public a glimpse into everything firefighters do.
In Bonnyville, there are 40 volunteers who make up the crew, thought ideally they'd like to get up to 48. Across the eight halls of the BRFA, there is a total compliment of approximately 180 volunteer firefighters and 27 trucks.
“Instead of forming your opinion of fire departments from movies and television, (the open house) allows people to come in and see what fire departments are all about and how we operate. It's a huge family that works closely together to support the community it's in.”
While everyone knows firefighters for speeding to a building up in flames or running into a burning home, there's a lot more to being a volunteer with the BFRA. In addition to fighting fires, the department responds to all types of emergency calls, from motor vehicle accidents to medical assistance calls to rescue calls. They also support community organizations with fundraising initiatives, such as the SPCA or when the Dairy Queen raises funds for the Stollery.
Prior to the open house on Oct. 11, firefighters will be heading into local schools. With the help of the fire chief for a day, the group will spread their message of fire safety and encourage students to bring their families out to the open house.
“We want this to become a lifetime habit as they move forward, an understanding of safety and fire safety. The sooner you establish this habit in people the better,” said McEvoy, adding that it's promising to see that lesson has been passed on over the 20 years of the BFRA open house.
“It's encouraging now that we're seeing parents who are coming to the open house with their children, parents that were children here 20 years ago are bringing their children now and passing on that fire safety attitude... Seeing the fire safety attitude that was taught to children 20 years ago now being displayed in people's workplaces and homes, that's probably the most successful thing from fire prevention week.”
