Guelph area fire departments host fire prevention day

The Guelph Fire Department and Guelph Eramosa Fire and Rescue cooked up something to cap off Fire Prevention Week.

They hosted an event at the fire station next to the West End Recreation Centre on Imperial Road South for Fire Prevention Day on Saturday.

It included games for the kids, a peek inside a fire truck, an appearance from Sparky the fire-safety dog, popcorn, candy, and more.

“I love these types of events,” said Gord Herbert, fire prevention officer with the Guelph Fire Department.

“The amount of opportunities to educate the public and keep them safe is unbelievable.”

The theme of this year’s Fire Prevention Week was “Cooking safety starts with you. Pay attention to fire safety.” There were demonstrations to show visitors how to prevent cooking fires.

Herbert says unattended cooking is the leading cause of residential fires in Ontario. Some tips the fire department suggests are:

• Ensure a working smoke alarm is installed on every level of the home and test it at least once a month
• Keep the area around the stove free and clear
• Create a food prep station away from the stove
• Avoid loose-fitting clothes
• Don’t cook under the influence of alcohol or drugs
• Have a home fire escape plan that is practiced by everyone in the home

“It’s amazing the number of people that don’t realize how to deal with fires, how to deal with smoke alarms,” said Herbert. “The unfortunate thing is with us in the fire service we deal with it all the time. You start to think that everyone knows that but you don’t know until you start to test the alarm.”