Singing, dancing and swinging frying pans — not exactly what you picture when you think of Calgary firefighters “in action,” but this week, that’s what you’re seeing as part of a new video promoting fire safety.
The video, posted to the City of Calgary’s social media pages, was created as part of Fire Prevention Week and is aimed at driving home the message of “stand by your pan.”
Sung to the tune of the popular 60s song “Stand By Your Man,” the video features CFD personnel ranging from frontline firefighters to community safety officers to the deputy fire chief.
“This year, we wanted to try something a little bit different, a little lighthearted, something that people would be willing to share and pay attention to, because we attend so many kitchen fires every year – one to two every single day,” public information officer Carol Henke said on Tuesday.
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“And really, it’s a really preventable type of fire.”
Henke said most kitchen fires that first responders are called to start because of cooking ware being left unattended.
“Busy lives, people start something on the stove, leave the kitchen, are away longer than they anticipated and then all of a sudden, you have a fire in your pan or your pot, or you’ve got a lot of smoke and it can grow into a full-on kitchen or house fire,” Henke said. “So really, the message is: when you’re cooking, stay in the kitchen.”
Two to three minutes to get out
Henke said in addition to raising awareness about kitchen fires, firefighters are trying to remind Calgarians about what they can do to prevent all kinds of fires and to have a safety plan in place in the event of an emergency.
When a fire starts, it spreads and moves fast, Henke said, meaning that having a plan is essential if you find yourself stumbling through a smoky hallway in the dark in the middle of the night.
“Really, when your smoke alarm goes off, you have two to three minutes to get out before you can’t make it out anymore,” Henke said.
“Those two to three minutes go by very quickly, and if you’re not familiar with how to get out quickly and safely, you don’t have a home escape plan,” she said. “That can be very challenging.”
Henke said people should keep pets in mind when preparing for emergency exits.