Cariboo Fire Departments want to remind the public that it’s fire prevention week.
With that in mind, 100 Mile Fire Rescue Chief Roger Hollander said that not only this week but every month you should be testing your smoke and carbon monoxide alarms.
“It’s important to know that they expire after 10 years. They are just a piece of electronic equipment like anything else so it’s recommended by manufacturers that they are typically replaced no matter what after 10 years. You can see the date on it, it’s either a manufacturer date or an expiry date, but after 10 years those should be replaced.”
Hollander added that they should be in each sleeping unit, on every level of your home, and just like smoke alarms carbon monoxide alarms should be on every level as well typically outside of each sleeping area.
He noted as we move into the fall and winter months to have your furnace and wood stoves checked and never leave them unattended.
“It’s that time of year when we’re starting our furnaces and wood stoves so make sure that your chimney is clean and that they are inspected regularly, or at least annually, more often if you use it more often.” Hollander said, “Don’t leave wood stoves unattended, it’s not wise to leave to go grocery shopping when you have heating appliances or wood stoves going on at home and nobody’s there. Quite often fires are not observed until it’s too late from neighbors so it’s important to make sure the fire is out before you leave.”
He said it’s also important to remove all combustibles like blankets and kindling that are close to wood stoves and heating appliances so they don’t become a start for a fire.