Focusing on Fire Prevention at Snow Road Open House

Oct 15, 2014

Visitors to an open house at the Snow Road Fire Hall in North Frontenac on October 11 learned a few new things about the best ways to prevent and respond to house fires.

North Frontenac fire chief Steve Riddell along with deputy chief Sandy Ryder, fire fighter Gary Fleming and North Frontenac fire prevention officer Eric Korhonen were on hand educating guests about smoke alarms, chimney fires and also giving live demonstrations on the proper technique of putting out a fire using a fire extinguisher.

The event coincided with the last day of Fire Prevention Week, which was from October 5-11. Korhonen said the main aim of the open house was to underline the importance of homes being outfitted with properly working smoke alarms. “In a nut shell, working smoke alarms save lives,” Korhonen said. He explained the two different types of smoke alarms, both of which are recommended for use in homes since together they can provide adequate time for occupants to escape a house fire, whether it is a flaming fire or a smoldering one.

The first type of smoke alarm is an ionization smoke alarm, which can detect flaming fires sooner by detecting ionized fire particles. These are the smaller and less visible charged particles released from a fire. They are best installed in kitchens near stoves and in basements near furnaces and or wood stoves.

The second type are photoelectric smoke alarms, which are triggered when the larger, more visible particles released in a fire interfere with and reflect the alarm's light beam, which in turn triggers the alarm. These are best located in bedrooms and landings in the upper reaches of a home where smoke will collect.

Korhonen also stressed the fact that smoke alarm batteries should be checked on a monthly basis. In front of the hall fire fighters set up their fire extinguisher training device and taught guests the PASS method of putting out a fire with an extinguisher, i.e. Point, Aim, Squeeze the trigger and Sweep at the base of the fire. “This is a great opportunity for people to get a chance to use an extinguisher before they might need to. Sometimes using one for the first time can be a bit startling. It is helpful to be familiar with the device and to know how it operates prior to having to use one in a real emergency situation.”

Korhonen reminded wood stove owners to only burn seasoned wood, and to clean their chimneys regularly once or twice a year. He had on hand a product called Chimfex for extinguishing chimney fires. It looks similar to a road flare and contains a chemical compound that can be activated by opening the container and then placing it in a stove where a chimney fire is occurring. “Chimney fires occur from the build up of creosote in the chimney pipe and you can often tell when one is occurring from the sound it makes. Often there can be a rumbling noise from within the stove, or in other instances the pipes will be glowing red.”

Guests who visited were given a number of gift items and door prizes and enjoyed a free barbeque lunch. Youngsters had a chance to explore numerous fire vehicles while getting to know their local fire fighters. With the weather turning colder, now is the time to ensure that homes are fire safe and properly outfitted with the tools that have been proven to save lives.

For more information about fire safety visit the

Fire Marshall's website at www.mcscs.jus.gov.on.ca