By Sarah Stone

700 students receive life-saving smoke alarms

Oct 6, 2014 | 5:24 PM

They are lessons that could save lives and on Monday 700 students learned them.

At Riverside Community School and St. Francis School, provincial and local dignitaries gathered to give every student a new smoke alarm. This is part of the kickoff to Fire Prevention Week and Saskatchewan’s effort to raise awareness of the role working smoke alarms play in home fire safety.

Duane McKay, fire commissioner for the Province of Saskatchewan, addressed the students and talked about fire safety.

“I think it’s a good way to identify to the kids not only about fire safety, but give them something to take home. Our message isn’t just for children, it’s for adults as well and certainly mom and dad back home will be able to mount the smoke detector in a place where it’s necessary and maybe get a little training from their children,” McKay said.

The province has never given away this many smoke alarms at one time in Prince Albert, but McKay said there has been exchange programs or opportunities to get smoke alarms during Fire Preventions Weeks in the past. 

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Although the alarms are being given away in Prince Albert, he said it’s a national and provincewide fire-safe message.

“Most people that are seriously injured in fires are typically at night when they’re un-alert and if they had a smoke detector most of those would be available,” McKay said.

Education is key, according McKay.  He said over the years they have been pushing the message of fire prevention and they have seen a decline in serious fire injuries.

Kim Jones, vice-principal at Riverside Community School, said they curriculum has been very clear on fire prevention.

“Some of our former students have been involved in fire tragedies, [although] not while they’re living in Prince Albert,” he said.

“I can’t think of anything more traumatic than being involved in a house fire and maybe being injuries or having a loved one injured.  It’s got to be very traumatizing for a kid.”

Some of the exercises the school takes part in to teach fire safety include fire drills, mapping escape routes for home and tips on what to do in case of a fire.

“Fire safety is something we really stress in our school all the time.  It’s a really important part of their education that they learn about fire safety and having a smoke detector is huge as far as fire safety as we all know, so we’re really excited to have this event here,” Jones said.

At the assembly on Monday included Glynis Seesequasis 12, and Tony Randhile, 13.

Seesequasis said her favourite part was meeting all of the fire personnel in attendance including Sparky the Fire Dog and Prince Albert Fire Department [PAFD] Chief Jason Everitt.

She said one of the most important messages she learned is that “they [students] can actually be safe when there’s fire and how to safely get out.”

Randhile also has picked up some useful tips in case of a fire.

“If there’s smoke above the ground you have to crawl under the smoke or if the door handles hot you can’t touch because it will burn your hand,” he said adding he’s going to share it with his family.

This year’s theme for National Fire Prevention Week is “Working Smoke Alarms Save Lives – Test Yours Every Month.”  

PAFD crews will be staffing a display at the Gateway Mall to promote fire safety.

sstone@panow.com

On Twitter: @sarahstone84