Fire Prevention Week is here in the province, and this year's theme is to Learn the Sounds of Fire Safety.  

Rosetown Fire Chief Dennis Ogg reminds all residents in order to learn from the sounds of fire safety, you have to make sure all your alarms are in working order. 

“We need you to maintain your fire alarm system and you can use the sounds to determine if it's safe. For instance, a carbon monoxide issue or a smoke issue or a low battery, or a faulty detector sound, let you know whether you're going to have to replace the detector somewhere between 7 and 10 years. Depending on the detector, both the carbon monoxide alarms and the smoke alarms that are monitored by an alarm company. That seems to be very popular now.  There are some things that you should learn, for example, if it's a false alarm, how to contact the alarm company. The big thing is just stay calm and don't overreact.” 

On the topic of false alarms, Ogg said it is becoming more of an issue for the Fire Department all the time. 

“We find the false alarm side of it is a bit of a problem. It's getting to be more and more of an issue all the time, and it bothers me that my fire department responds to those through traffic with a big fire apparatus and that's how people get hurt.” 

Additionally, having a plan is also a big factor when it comes to fire safety says Ogg. He outlined important information that all members of the family should be aware of if a fire does occur, they include: 
• having an escape route and practicing it with all members of the family 
• equipping your home with an appropriate amount of fire extinguishers 
• knowing how to properly use a fire extinguishers as not all are the same 
• ensuring all members of the family know how to call for emergency services 
• knowing your land location or address 
• revisiting all of the aforementioned on a regular basis 

Fire Prevention Week runs from October 3 to 9.