Life-saving initiative begins with youth

Fire department gives smoke alarms, prevention tips to kids

A tragic fire on Nova Scotia’s south shore last February has become the catalyst for a province-wide safety initiative.

The fire, just outside of Bridgewater, took the lives of a mother and three children.

“New Germany’s fire department launched the campaign, and then challenged other fire departments,” recalls Chad Schrader, deputy fire chief with the Wolfville Volunteer Fire Department.

“We answered that call.”

The challenge was to get smoke alarms into the hands of schoolaged children in an effort to prevent tragedies. The Wolfville firefighters reached out to the Eddy Group, the industrial supply company with a location in Coldbrook.

“They were fantastic to deal with and gave us an excellent price,” Schrader recalls. “The Town of Wolfville kicked in a $1,000 contribution and together, with our own funds, we were able to purchase 600 smoke alarms.”

The Wolfville firefighters distributed the safety equipment to schoolaged children within the department’s district, including students at Gaspereau Valley Elementary, L.E. Shaw Elementary, Wolfville Elementary and Landmark East School.

“In some of the schools we did inclass presentations and in others we just dropped them off and they were distributed by the principal.”

An information package was included with the smoke alarms, with instructions on proper location and installation as well as battery replacement.

“It’s recommended in the building code that you have a smoke alarm on every level,” Schrader points out. “There should also be an alarm outside of sleeping quarters and in every bedroom.”

Early detection is critical in preventing fires from having a tragic outcome, as people will typically succumb to smoke rather than the actual fire.

“Smoke inhalation will make you incapacitated to the point where you can’t save yourself.”

Schrader also stresses the importance of keeping bedroom doors closed while sleeping to keep smoke and fire from spreading to the sleeping quarters and to provide precious extra minutes for escape.

“There are many cases where an entire house was burned but because that bedroom compartment was closed, the fire did not spread to that area and everybody was able to escape,” he said.

Smoke alarm batteries should be changed twice a year and an easy way to remember is to update them when the clocks change in the spring and fall. Batteries should be tested once a month. Lifting your child and letting him or her press the testing button serves two purposes, Schrader adds.

“It gives them an awareness of what they’re supposed to be listening for,” he says. “And, of course, kids like to make noise.”

Smoke alarms have a 10-year life expectancy from the day of installation as over time the chemical sensors become gummed up with dust and airborne particles.

“The components inside the alarm break down over time and they become ineffective or less effective.”

Having a properly functioning smoke alarm can be the difference between life and death, Schrader points out, and can also reduce the severity of collateral damage in a fire emergency.

“Early detection not only saves lives but it reduces property damage,” he said.