A fire chief provided a tragic reminder of the importance of smoke alarms during the launch of Fire Prevention Week.
Portugal Cove-St. Philip’s Chief and former Fire Commissioner, Fred Hollett, told a fire hall full of officials and Grade 9 students that the simplest action could prevent the worst from happening.
Hollett related a haunting call that he responded to, in which a father saved one daughter but died trying to save another.
He says the investigation later found that the hallway smoke detector battery was dead before the fire.
“That smoke alarm in that hallway might have given them the early warning that they should’ve received to get out of that house,” Hollett told VOCM News.
Hollett then addressed Grade 9 students from nearby Brookside Intermediate with a request that he made of the students before them.
“When you go home tonight, would you please ask your parents to test your smoke alarm? It’s a simple thing to do. Sometimes you can’t reach them, just take a broomstick, hit the test button. Smoke alarms are your first line of defence and you need to make them work for you, just as the slogan says,” he said.
In Marystown, the Volunteer Fire Department has planned activities, including a parade at 2:00 p.m. tomorrow, and an open house on Thursday.
Fire Prevention Week runs from Sunday until next Saturday.