Georgian College students took a few minutes out of their day today to learn about saving their lives.
Barrie Fire and Emergency Service (BFES) teamed up with the Georgian Campus Safety and Security (GCCSS), as well as the Pre-Service Firefighter Education and Training course, to demonstrate how quickly those late night dinners can spread to disaster.
Director of GCCSS Roman Calvano was on hand to watch as a pop-up kitchen was set ablaze and the many dangers of cooking were pointed out.
“As a college we have many young people away from home for likely the first time,” said Calvano. “That means they may not know exactly how to cook and cook safely. Most people, especially young people, don’t realize how quickly fires can spread and we need them to know all the proper prevention and evacuation plans.”
While Georgian residence buildings are all equipped with smoke detectors and are properly maintained, Calvano knows that many students live off campus while they study in Barrie. It’s important for both sets of students know how to make their time in the city safe.
“We’ll be doing this on an annual basis and actually drill for both lockdown and fire evacuation three times a year,” said Calvano. “When families send their children here, we take it as great responsibility to equip them with the knowledge it takes to be safe and secure in their new surroundings.”
One of the back parking lots was used for the demonstration that had a mock kitchen set up with Canola oil in a pan. Carrie Clark-Weatherup is a fire prevention officer and investigator and emceed the demonstration and gave onlookers a step-by-step account of what happens from the moment the oil hits the pan to when the flames hit the cupboard.
“Cooking is our No. 1 cause of fires and fatal fires after midnight,” said Weatherup. “It’s really important that students cooking on their own for the first time really appreciate what can happen in a fire situation and seeing it live is the best way. It’s also important that they learn the right thing to do because more often than not, people do the wrong thing and that makes the fire and chances of survival even worse.”
Students learned today that you have three minutes to get out of your house and the average BFES response time is five to seven minutes. Through the process today, Weatherup constantly mentioned times and what you should be doing at what point. Each time, the importance of a working smoke alarm was stressed. With some students studying all night and possibly falling asleep while cooking, a smoke alarm is the best way to save your life.
“It is quite a frustrating thing to investigate a fire and see that the home didn’t have a working alarm,” said Weatherup. “The smoke will not wake you and if the fire does, it’s too late. We know have to look at what makes someone do the responsible thing and be ready for these disasters rather than why don’t people prepare.”
The BFES does after-fire safety blitzes in the city and out of 60-100 homes in an area; there is a failure rate of 60% to 80%.
That failure rate includes no batteries in the alarms, alarms are too old (life expectancy of 10 years) and/or alarms placed in the wrong spot. Stacey Fleck is a student at Georgian and admits that while she came out with friends to see the fire, she’s glad she heard the message.
“We all thought it would be neat to check it out, but I am really glad I did for safety reasons too,” said Fleck. “I had no idea it could go up in flames so fast and I’m sure in the heat of the moment I won’t be calm enough to remember the necessary steps. These types of lessons should happen a lot and everywhere.”
If you’re interested in knowing more on how to make you, your family and friends safe, contact the BFES at [email protected]
