Teens focus of fire prevention week in Stouffville

YorkRegion.com
Oct. 1, 2015
Sandra Bolan

Hear the Beep Where you Sleep is this year’s fire prevention week message. Fire prevention week runs from Oct. 4 to 10.

The theme is all about ensuring you have working smoke alarms in your home, in particular, outside bedrooms and sleeping quarters on every floor.

About half of home fire fatalities result from fires that occur between 11 p.m. and 7 a.m., when most people are asleep, according to the National Fire Prevention Association.

In Whitchurch-Stouffville, this year’s theme is focused on older teens and post-secondary aged students, whose behaviour puts them at a higher risk, according to Jennifer Cooper, fire prevention/public education officer for the local department.

That behaviour includes drinking, smoking, partying and being able to sleep through such things as fire alarms, she said. They are also a demographic that has been ignored.

Students have just moved into apartments to attend school and “a lot of these places are not safe (or) up to code,” according to Cooper. They also don’t check for things such as working smoke alarms in their apartments or even have escape plans.

A video public service announcement aimed at teens and post-secondary students will premiere Oct. 6 in the Stouffville fire hall on Weldon Road. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. The screening takes place at 7 p.m.

The video was made in partnership with: York Region Police, York EMS, PNT Creative, Richmond Hill fire dispatch, Darlene Shaw and Stouffville Creek Retirement Residence.

Part of the launch includes a social media campaign “because that’s a teen’s way of communicating,” Cooper said.

Attendees will be encouraged to share a special link to the video and once they have shown the share to a representative at the fire hall, their name will be entered into draws for an iPad, donated by Tiny Seedlings, or tablet. The draws take place that night.

At the launch, there will also be general information on smoke alarms as well as a fire extinguisher simulator.