With fire deaths rising to a near 20-year high last year, many fire chiefs around Ontario are concerned that people still aren't following simple safety measures.
Perth East/West Perth Fire Chief, Bill Hunter, says it's extremely disturbing that of the 114 fire deaths that occurred in 2020, nearly a third of those fires happened in homes or structures with no working smoke alarms.
"It just makes me sick to my stomach really, to think that people are dying because a simple 5 or 10 dollar device was never installed or it was disabled, in a home."
Last year's 114 fire deaths were nearly double that of 2019, and came close to hitting the record for fire deaths in Ontario in a year, which was 119 in 2001. So far in 2021, nearly 3 months in, and Ontario has already had 42 fire deaths, including a recent tragic fire in Oshawa that killed 2 men and 2 kids. Hunter says this kind of thing is simply unacceptable, and fire alarms need to be a staple in every single home and structure in this province.
Typically, fire departments like Perth East and West Perth would have something of a "fire alarm drive," a campaign where firefighters would go door-to-door in a community and check residential and business fire alarms for free, and if they found ones that weren't working, they would replace the battery or even in some cases replace the whole unit for free. With COVID-19 in the way last year and this year, Hunter says they continue to do something similar, just in a less face-to-face manner. Last year, Hunter's department hung door hangers on people's front doors with safety tips and educational messaging around fire safety and smoke alarms. He says they plan to do something similar this year.
With regards to the stark rise in fire deaths last year, Hunter says of course the first thing you could point to is COVID-19, which has forced many of us to stay home. But Hunter says that's too simple, as he figured maybe, with people home way more, they would be more attentive and aware and cautious being in their own homes all the time. Hunter says the three main fire starters are cooking, smoking and electrical failure. With electrical failure being a whole other ballpark, Hunter says in terms of smoking, the best thing to do is smoke outside.
"If you can eliminate the cigarettes and the use of lighters and matches in the home, that kind of takes care of that problem. When you are smoking outside, have a good place to butt out your cigarette."
Hunter says you could use a tin can with sand or water in it, and that you shouldn't just flick your cigarette butts into the lawn or in a planter, as he's seen fires start that way. With respect to cooking, Hunter says always stay in the kitchen and be attentive, and if you're heating something up, like oil, keep the lid to the pan close by.
"If you are heating up some oil in a frying pan and it does ignite, you can simply take the lid, and slide it over the frying pan, and that will extinguish the fire."
Hunter says his motto is "Stand by your Pan," a simple little message to encourage people to not leave the kitchen no matter what you're cooking, as cooking fires can easily and quickly engulf a home. But the biggest thing, the easiest safety measure for you and your family, is working smoke alarms.
Hunter says it is a no brainer, and for those in the community who are financially challenged, fire departments will provide smoke alarms in those situations to those who perhaps can't afford them. He says at the end of the day, if you're asleep, and don't have a working smoke alarm when a fire starts, you will most likely die in your home, because by the time you maybe wake up and realize what's happening, it will be too late to get out. Hunter says, when it comes to smoke alarms, have them, maintain them, check the battery, hit the test button at least once a month, and save lives. Just do it.
