PEACHLAND VIEW
6
OCTOBER 14, 2016
OPINION
PEACHLAND ELEMENTARY GRADE 3 student Chevy Matthews was chosen to be the fire chief of the day on Oct. 12 in celebration of Fire Prevention Week. She was taken to school that day in a fire truck, and then brought her friends and family back to the station that night for dinner and demonstrations.
PHOTOS SUBMITTED
Fire Prevention Week in Peachland DAN WALTON
REGIONAL REPORTER
dwalton@aberdeenpublishing.com
Smoke detectors don’t last forever, and Peachland fire chief Dennis Craig is hammering home that reminder during this year’s Fire Prevention Week. ‘Don’t wait, check the date’ is the theme he’s embraced, as smoke detectors are no longer reliable after 10 years, and carbon monoxide detectors should be replaced ever five, he said. Every department across Canada and the US practices Fire Prevention Week to emphasize the importance of planning for fires. Craig was disappointed to say Peachland residents seem only average when it comes to staying on top of detector maintenance, and said the local department has discovered some buildings without working smoke alarms that have previously suffered fire damage. He acknowledged the cost of smoke detectors are burdensome, but given that house fires don’t come with any other warning, they’re a wise investment for every homeowner. Craig said the code was updated in 2012, when it previously required one working smoke alarm on every floor of a building. Now there must be a detector inside and outside of every sleeping area. On Oct. 12, Chevy Matthews, a Grade 3 student from Peachland Elementary School, won a draw to be the fire chief of the day, and she was given a ride to school that morning in a firetruck. After
Correction MP Dan Albas was mistakenly identified in last week’s View as MP Dan Ashton in our coverage of Culture Days. Albas and Ashton are both politicians whose ridings includes Peachland, but Ashton is actually the area’s MLA.
taking Matthews to school, Craig shared a presentation on fire safety with the youngsters of Peachland. The fire department opened a contest to all students at the school, and four prizes of firesafe hoodies were also given away. Later that night, Matthews, along with four friends and all their families, were at the fire department for a special dinner and some demonstrations. Last year during Fire Prevention Week, the local department held a selfie contest on their Facebook page, asking local residents to post pictures of themselves maintaining their smoke alarms. In 2014, the department commandeered pizza delivery services, and when the firefighters arrived at a hungry customer’s house with the pizza, there was no charge for homeowners with working smoke alarms.
Patrick Bell
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