Athens Fire

The "Fire Prevention Committee" within the Athens Fire Department wants to remind you of the up and coming Fire Prevention Week from October 7 to October 13, 2007.

This year's message is "Practice Your Escape Plan".

I know with our busy lives we need to plan everything from work, school, sporting events and hobbies. So it's easy to forget the most important aspect of fire safety, namely "An Escape Plan".

Every household should have a well thought out escape plan. It will only take a few minutes to organize and then only a few minutes to practice.

Here's a short video with a few tips on what to do when you first detect smoke.

Your plan should include these 7 key points

1. Account for everyone in the house,
2. Know two ways out of the building,
3. Know how to react in an emergency,
4. Know how to identify the sound of a smoke alarm or building alarm,
5. Having a meeting place which is out of harms way,
6. Knowing where the nearest safe place is to call the fire department,
7. Practicing your escape plan

Practicing your escape plan is most important. We rearrange and renovate our homes and sometimes our escape plans may be out dated. By practicing the escape plan, you will know if it still up to date or whether you need to modify it.

We recommend that you change your smoke detector batteries in the fall and the spring ... so why not practice your Fire Drill at the same time? It will only take a few minutes more and be quite educational for yourself and your family.

If you need a smoke detector, we're selling them through the fire department at a cost of $10.00 each. And if you're a senior citizen, living within the Township of Athens, we'll install it for you at no charge.

Please fill out the Smoke Detector Order Form and drop it off at the fire hall or the Township of Athens office. You may also mail it to us at:

Athens Fire Department
16 Main St.,W.
Athens, Ontario, K0E 1B0

Any questions or comments are always welcomed. You can reach us at 613 924 2127 or you can also check out our website.

Athens Fire Department
Fire Prevention Committee