REGINA — This week, the city of Regina is commemorating a milestone with the 100th anniversary of Fire Prevention Week.
The week was launched by the National Fire Protection Association in 1922 and it has continued every year since then. Regina Fire and Protective Services are marking the week from Oct. 9-15 with several activities that residents can take part in.
People are invited to two fire station open houses. On Oct. 12 between 6:30 and 8:30 p.m., residents can meet firefighters and tour Fire Station No. 6 at 303- Rink Ave., and there is another open house Saturday, Oct. 15 at Fire Station No. 5 at 2700 - East Arens Rd.
There is also a community pancake breakfast at 8:30 a.m. Friday, Oct. 14 at the mâmawêyatitân centre multi-purpose room, 3355 - 6th Ave.
The theme of this year’s Fire Prevention Week is “Fire Won’t Wait. Plan Your Escape.” People are being encouraged this week to take time to think of their escape plan: to plan how each member of their home will escape, and think of at least two ways out of each room. They are urged to ensure their doors and windows open easily in all four seasons and to agree on an outside location to meet once you escape. Residents are also encouraged to test their smoke alarms at least twice a year.
Fire Prevention Week was first established as a public education campaign by fire departments coinciding with the anniversary of the Great Chicago Fire of 1871.
Fire Chief Layne Jackson of Regina Fire and Protective Services noted that in the 100 years of Fire Prevention Weeks, "many things have changed ... but the same goal remains, improving life safety and fire prevention."
Just in terms of fire prevention, a lot of the messages have remained the same. "One of our key messages is that you have a smoke alarm on each level of your home outside your sleeping area," said Jackson.
What's mainly changed, he said, is that the fire department now responds to all kinds of emergencies, and their messaging also has expanded to focus on life safety including carbon monoxide, water rescue, hazardous materials and other areas.
The 2022 Fire Prevention Week comes on the heels of a number of recent fires at residences in Regina, including at a residence on Princess Street that morning.
Jackson did say they were seeing an increase in house fires during the past few years, with cooking one of the leading causes.
The Fire Department has stepped up education efforts to cut down on the cooking fires, but Jackson also said they are also seeing an increase in fires at vacant structures and have been working with Regina Police Service to prevent and investigate those.
For the department, Fire Prevention Week is an important initiative to get the message out to community residents about fire safety, and it is often more effective than simply handing out brochures.
“If we can demonstrate and have people hands-on and participating, it always creates that memory and recall a lot better than just a plain old messaging campaign,” said Jackson.
Jackson made the launch announcement Tuesday at the mâmawêyatitân centre, where the fire department also has a satellite office.
At the same venue, Scott Collegiate Grade 10 students from their police academy program were participating that same morning in training for a fire safety mentorship program.
The students will be acting as mentors to other younger students at elementary schools to help teach them about fire safety. On Tuesday they were being trained on what to do to escape a fire, with a view for them to pass on that knowledge to elementary students.
Public Education Officer Candace Giblett said she was excited that the Grade 10 students were involved.
“They have stepped up in their community to be leaders in many ways, and we’re super privileged that the program at Scott Collegiate was willing to let us also share in their leadership abilities.”
