I live just a few blocks away from the fire that occurred on Daniel Drive on Tuesday. I've read all the articles and heard the talk about more fire coverage, whether full-time or paid-on-call for the Sardis area. I agree that it would be nice to have better coverage, but we tend to forget a key component of fire safety and that's fire prevention and education. It is rarely ever mentioned in the news media other than during Fire Prevention Week. Having spent much of my life as a firefighter and educator in fire safety, I believe that we must also spend our resources on education. After all, most accidental fires can be prevented.
With today's economy, cities like Chilliwack are hard pressed to find further funding for any of the emergency services. With more effort, we can educate the public on fire prevention by the reduction of flammables and combustibles in our homes and proper use and storage of those items. We can also educate the public on choices in flame resistant materials used in the manufacturing of furniture and window coverings and not to mention, the elimination of accidental ignition sources.
Some may read this and think that I don't support our full-time firefighters and their effort to secure more paid career positions. Nothing could be farther from the truth. As mentioned, I would also like to see better coverage. I just think we need to try to prevent these fire life safety incidents before they actually occur. As a result of this, we will see fewer fire incidents and fewer fire loss insurance claims which would benefit all of us. If you read my rant and you agree, contact our local fire department and become more educated in fire prevention and fire safety.
M. Kearney