WELLINGTON, P.E.I. - Martin Arsenault quickly tackles a raging blaze outside the Wellington Fire Department, with a little help from firefighters Chris Gallant and fire captain Rodney MacIsaac during their open house event in honour of Fire Prevention Week, Saturday morning.
The purpose of the free annual event gives the public a chance to meet the unsung heroes in their community, as well as learn safety and fire prevention that could help save lives.
“With the help of outside organizations, we’re trying to have an open house to educate the public and our community as to what they can do to help themselves and their neighbours,” explained Des Arsenault of the Wellington department.
“We have a company here that is testing, refilling and selling fire extinguishers. There’s the Red Cross for emergency prevention, the Island Emergency Measures Organization (EMO) that has demonstrations and pamphlets, and for ourselves we have a bouncy castle for the kids, free hot dogs, and demonstrations on how to use a fire extinguisher safely.”
People were invited to practice the correct chest compressions or CPR on a manikin, explore the fire trucks or rescue vehicles, as well as practice fire prevention with the assistance of the firefighters.
“We’re giving a free battery to everyone while supplies last at the event, and we have a lot of door prizes that include smoke detectors, fire extinguishers and hats, so it’s great to get the community out and show our commitment,” added Arsenault, before thanking and listing all the sponsors of the event.
Arsenault advises the public to change batteries twice a year on a smoke detector, as well as check the expiry date on the unit every 10 years.