Fire services from Cochrane, Airdrie, Chestermere and Rocky View County have joined forces to form a new community safety initiative — the Regional Fire Safety Education Coalition.
Officially launched Oct. 2, the coalition aims to help residents of these communities be informed and engaged in fire safety, along with providing support before, during and after a fire.
“By working together with these other partners, we can bring different ideas to the table and get feedback from each other,” said lieutenant Jeff Avery of Cochrane Fire Services. “This way we are all on the same page, and can work together to get bigger and better.”
The fire safety coalition has committed to three initial programs: the Home Safety Program, the After the Emergency Program and the Community Care Packs. ConocoPhillips is onboard as the coalition’s corporate partner, and will provide financial support for the development and delivery of these programs. That includes installation kits, alarms, batteries, smoke detectors and the community care packs.
The coalition will have kicked off with this year’s Fire Prevention Week, which will run until Oct. 12. During that week — for as long as it takes — Cochrane’s on duty firefighters will be going from household to household through two communities: Cochrane Heights and the East End.
The firefighters will be offering residents help with smoke alarms, providing free alarms to those without, even installing the batteries. This offering is part of the Home Safety Program, said Avery. He said the goal is to eventually make it to each community, and each household, in Cochrane.
“We want to educate everyone — from seniors to children — about fire safety,” said Avery. “This is one of the biggest ways to prevent fire.”
According to Lynda Phelan, corporate communications team leader at the City of Airdrie, the coalition has hopes to roll these programs out throughout the province. Already she said she’s seen the effect of the After the Emergency Program in Calgary. This particular program will put fire crews back into the devastated community within 72 hours of a fire. While there, firefighters will visit with residents, addressing questions and concerns.
“It takes awhile to clean up from a fire — a house can stay in that condition for awhile,” said Phelan. “It helps to have firefighters come by, out of their gear, and provide information on who to talk to, or on how to keep a home safe from fire.”
The Community Care Packs are tools for frontline crews that support existing programs. These packages contain fire education and safety information, smoke alarms and batteries, home checklists, along with a variety of other information.
