Fire Prevention Week is coming up on October 6–12, and this year’s theme is: “Not every hero wears a cape. Plan and practice your escape.”

Once again, fire departments across North America are getting the point across about just how important it is to prepare a home escape plan and test your smoke alarms. Why is this? A 2017 statistic says that fire kills eight people every week in Canada, with 73 percent of cases being residential fires.

“Fires in homes burn hotter and faster now,” says Niverville Fire Chief Keith Bueckert. “Your smoke alarms, when activated, give your family 90 seconds to exit your home, in most cases. These fires can produce large volumes of smoke—and that is our big killer.”

So how do we increase our chances of getting out of a home fire? Bueckert outlines three key steps everyone can take.

“Number one, keep smoke alarms in working order,” he says, adding that the fire department is currently offering to install free smoke alarms for people who live in older homes with battery-only alarms. “We are finding homes that don’t have working alarms when we are replacing the alarms. People who have smoke alarms going off and who take the battery out of the alarm should also consider that maybe the alarm is not in the right area of the home.”

The second step is to have an escape plan—and practice it.

“Know the secondary exits from bedrooms and how to use them,” Bueckert says. “If that is not an option, know how to exit a smoke-deteriorated environment.”

The third step is to make sure that you sleep with your door closed, which can make a life-or-death difference during a house fire. Closing your door does two things: it reduces toxic smoke in a bedroom and helps limit the spread of flames.

Buckert says the department’s annual fall open house will take place on Tuesday, October 8 at 6:00 p.m. A donation supper will be served, with all proceeds going to Helping Hands. The fire department will also be collecting non-perishable items for the food bank.

“The Fire and Emergency Service will be in the elementary school that week to speak to Kindergarten to Grade Four students about fire safety and the contests going on,” says Bueckert. “We have had great success with this over the years and will continue to work hard so our community is a fire-safe community.”